Apocalypes Destinies
by Durndal
Summary: Two travlers in the postapocalyptic wasteland prove that sometimes destiny has your name on it. Cowriten by Durndal and ChocoCow. Uploaded the final chapters.
1. Chapter 1

He came to the ghost town and all he found was her trailer. Rayne was actually working underneath the thing when she saw a pair of boots crunching her way. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and she rolled out from under the trailer, looking towards him.

"Yeah Rids?"

"Hey Rayne, long walks, no see. How you been doing?" Ridly shifted his pack and readjusted the straps. He was about 5'9" and 175 pounds, well built, with his head shaved but with a goatee. He wore the goatee well. Rayne stood up, her 5'6" lean frame a bit shorter than his, and she walked out from under the trailer, putting her long brown hair in a low ponytail.

"What do you want Ridly?"

"Well, I was running low on supplies when I saw this town, I didn't expect it to be deserted though." Ridly dropped his pack, heavily onto the dusty earth.

"I'm a tad antisocial, I was one of the girls that pushed the little boys down on the playground...I stayed out here because the others were too lazy to pump their own water." she said, leaning against the trailer. "What'cha need?"

"I'm almost out of water, and I'm pretty sure my food supplies have gone bad because they are starting to move around and make noises." Rayne looked towards him.

"I told you about keeping it next to your dirty clothes, DNA from your sweat..." She shrugged, and looked in the direction of the store. "There's still food left, and I can get you a couple dozen gallons..."

"Hey I listened to you this time but this damn radiation...you know. Do you mind if I shack up somewhere around here for tonight?" Ridly bent down and opened his pack, he pulled out the double barrel shotgun first and placed it carefully on the ground. Then he removed a tattered box of shogun shells. Then he grabbed the backpack and flipped it upside down; a few torn magazines fell out followed by some hairy and green objects that made squeaking sounds and twitched every few minutes. "See what I mean?" Rayne looked at the things, picked up the shot gun, and shot all of them, sending rather green looking goo everywhere.

"Shoot them when they grow eyes. that means they're starting to grow brains..." She shrugged, and looked at him. "All the old stuff is here, you can sleep anywhere'd you please..."

"Hey! You know how hard it is to find ammo around!" Ridly grabbed the gun away from her and returned it to his pack, then he stuffed the magazines and box of shells in after it. "I'll be in the hotel, the cockroaches still around?"

"...aren't they always?"

"Wonderful, that means I'll be up till late clearing the bastards off the top floor!" Rayne chuckled.

"Least you don't have those huge 3 foot long things like they do in old Cali and old New York." Ridly shuddered.

"3 feet is nothin', I've seen one the size of a man twice over. Albeit from a distance."

"Those ones mate in one day and have 65 hundred lil insects a year...the bigger they are, the longer it takes them to produce...the big ones are easier to deal with." Ridly shouldered his pack and drew the crowbar from the band around his leg,

"Yeah, but they're a hell of a lot harder to kill." He started walking back down the dusty street towards the hotel. Rayne looked after him.

"Want some help?" She said, putting her wrench over her shoulder and walking towards him.

"Well they are kind of easier to catch with two, sure lets go." Rayne nodded, walking into the convenience store, and picking up her gun.

"Okay...where've you been lately Rids?" She said, continuing to walk. "Looks like you finally grew a couple inches."

"Well I've been playing escort for a some caravans, but the raiders are getting tougher every day. On my way back here I stopped by a nice little town and helped fix their well, they gave me those hybrids you wasted my ammo on. Then I ran into a couple of big guys in metal suits, man I wish I had half of what they were carrying. Nice but a little short in the temper."

"Aren't we all these days?" She shrugged, and continued walking. "and I told you, once they start growing brains they're damned near impossible to eat, and even tougher to kill."

"Yeah…but I've never seen that type of people before, or that much technology in the hands of just two people. They made New Reno look like this place. God I really wish I had one of their guns, what a looker."

"Why didn't you just...take a picture...you know I can redesign most anything...I'm actually insulted!" Rayne chuckled, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Picture! That's a good one!" Ridly punched Rayne playfully in the arm. Rayne punched him back, and then pushed him slightly.

"ANYWAY, just ask for the designs next time okay?" She said, continuing to walk. Ridly immediately stopped laughing.

"I did…one of them almost shot me for my trouble." Rayne raised an eyebrow, and sighed.

"So touchy these days...sheesh...not like there's a lot of us professional builders left ya know..."

"They said it was a Brotherhood secret, whatever that means, probably another neo-militaristic group trying to take over the world. Those guys never last."

"Dear god...I'd rather completely nuke the world, AGAIN...then have more of them...what exactly do they plan on taking over? The cockroaches?" She said, walking into the hotel. Ridly laughed at that.

"Wonderful point, the could declare themselves rulers and demand tribute and people would go on as if nothing had changed." Ridly laughed even harder.

"We are the rulers of the earth...well, the deserts, since there seems to be nothing else left." She muttered, and started looking for the things. "What level you on?"

Ridly smashed his crowbar down on a roach and twisted it to make sure it was dead, "Third, where are you?"

"Second..." She shouted up, and smacking another one off the wall and squishing it too the floor with a wrench. "Where are you sleeping'?"

"Top as always," Ridly replied and jumped out of the way as 5 foot roach jumped at him from the shadows, Ridly smashed the crowbar into it then pulled his .44 Desert Eagle from his pocket and fired three rounds into it.

"6 foot?" She said, looking towards the ceiling.

"No just a fiver but aggressive bastard, must be a nest up here somewhere!"

"Wouldn't be surprised...once the humans move out, the roaches always move in." Ridly put his pistol away and gave the roach one last whack, then he moved up the stairs to the fourth floor. Rayne continued moving, looking around and slamming another foot long.

"How long were you planning on staying?" Ridly hit the landing on the fourth floor and immediately wished he hadn't put his gun away. Hundreds of five and six foot roaches swarmed the walls, floor, and ceiling.

"Well I was planning to stay a couple days but I don't think it will be here!" Ridly shouted as he jumped down the stairs. Rayne heard the rather large feet scattering across the floor and sighed.

"I KNEW there was a nest here." She said, catching up with him, and started running down the stairs to meet him, jumping over the larger ones. Ridly drew his gun and fired at the few that took more than a passing interest in Rayne.

"I think I'd better plan to sleep somewhere else tonight."

"Yeah..." Rayne slid down the stairs and landed on the bottom floor, waiting for Ridly. Ridly sprinted the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Any other place around town that is sturdy and remotely comfortable at night?"

"...My place...I've got an extra bed I guess." She shrugged. "The rest of these places are going to the bugs..." She sighed, and started walking out. "I'll have to be shipping out of here soon."

"Your place? Well it has to be better than this. And don't worry I'm gonna head off to New Reno to look for work anyway."

"Eh, maybe I'll join you, this prepackaged stuff has been here for a while..." She said, looking in his direction, and started on her way "home." Ridly followed her.

"New Reno's not a bad city but you have to watch who you work for. Most of the city has various Mafia ties so you have to be careful." Rayne looked towards him and smirked. "I'm a pretty girl, and I'm Italian..." She said shrugging. "I don't have too much to worry about." Ridly nodded.

"True you are quite a looker but there are some people who would love to get their hand on someone like you and turn them into their personal sex slave."

"...Most of those people will be finding themselves singing soprano if they touch me and I don't plan to be touched." She said, looking up at him. "That would be where you wince." Ridly shrugged.

"Hey I've seen some weird shit out there. Some of it I don't want to remember." Rayne sighed.

"Everyone wants to forget...that's normal." She said, hopping onto her trailer. Ridly dropped his pack outside and opened one of the side pockets, he pulled out some .44 magnum bullets and reloaded his gun before putting it back in his pocket. Rayne looked at him, and rolled her eyes. "You know my rules Rids...they go unloaded inside."

"Sorry, it's more or less become a habit for me." He pulled the clip out from his gun and dropped it into the side pocket of his backpack, then hoisted it onto his back and followed her inside.

"I know...but you're wasting bullets on things that multiply faster than rats used to." She shrugged, looking back towards him. "I don't have much, so you should come pick what you want to eat." She said. "I'm really not hungry."

"Hey does the fridge work?" He said eagerly, looking up at her.

"Uh...yeah!" She smiled, turning to face him. "Got that working a month or so ago." Ridly moved enthusiastically towards the fridge, "I swear this is the only place on the planet with a working fridge. What do you keep in there?"

She smiled. "I found the last couple beers in the grocery store, and just some other drinks and stuff..."

"Hey you got cold beer, alright!" Ridly grabbed two and popped one open, offering the other to Rayne. Rayne took the other one, sitting down in a chair. "Probably the last one or so on Earth..."

"Not the last, but the coldest!" Ridly found a chair and made himself comfortable, dropping backpack at his feet.

"Better be glad I was such a damn good mechanic."

"Oh I am, I am." Rayne laughed, taking a sip, and looking out into the red sky. "You miss it?" She asked, standing up to move the curtain over the window.

"Civilization or your mechanical ability?" Ridly asked with a smile on his face.

"The stars."

"In some places you can still see the stars...but the sky isn't what it used to be and the stars themselves have mostly been forgotten." Rayne nodded.

"No one tries staying outside longer then they have to, to wait for them to come back...I just remember as a kid, watching the stars..." She shrugged, taking another sip of her beer. "Whatever..."

"I heard rumors of some cult who believed that the stars were humanity's future. But they all disappeared about three years ago." She shrugged.

"I suppose they were mainly right for disappearing the way the stars dropped from the sky afterwards."

"They say some legendary hero wiped them all out but I doubt it, they probably pissed off the wrong band of raiders."

"Hn...I've been in that kind of trouble before...not fun.."

"Although some raiders aren't as bad as they are projected to be."

"Some of them are." Rayne said. "Eat that...and don't take anymore hybrids! Ask for threaded food next time."

"Raiders are only tough when they out number you."

"Raiders are tough when they're pissed off."

"True, but numbers make a big difference, remember I've wiped out my share of raider parties."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"With help of course." Rayne nodded, sitting back down.

"And what's with the shaved head? That's not good for your brain..." Ridly ran his hand over his head impulsively.

"From everything I've seen that isn't true, besides it makes me look meaner and I don't have to worry about lice." Rayne rolled her eyes, playing with a strand or two of her hair.

"Whatever Ridly...if you turn into a bumbling moron because the radiation fried your brain..."

"If I turn into a bumbling moron I'll shoot myself."

"Unless you forget how to shoot a gun."

"Har Har." He said deadpan.

"What?" She grinned, taking another chug of beer.

"Look, you haven't changed a bit and you know how I don't like your abuse so I'm going to bed!" Ridly looked at her with a playful sparkle in his eye. "Now where do you want me to sleep?" Rayne looked at him, and laughed.

"Been a while since you went to bed with a woman eh? Or at least, bedded and didn't have to pay." She said. Ridly stuck his tongue out.

"You have a dirty mind child." Rayne laughed, and stood up. "Right...there's a bed and a hammock in the closet, pick which one you want."

"Hammock, wouldn't want to deprive you of your beauty sleep." She stuck her tongue out, starting to walk.

"Like I need it? You need it more than I do. You take the bed."

"Fine, but please don't be a bitch in the morning!"

"I'm a morning person, I have nooo idea what you're talking about." She grinned, getting the hammock out of the closet. Ridly took off his backpack and dropped it on the floor next to the bed, then took the .44 out of his pocket and put it on the floor at the head of the bed. Rayne set up the hammock in the corner of the room, getting in and putting a pillow under her head, and a dagger on a small shelf next to her. She pulled a blanket over her, and looked down to Ridly. "Night Rids." Ridly flopped down on the bed.

"Night," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. Rayne laughed.

"You know what Rids?"

"What?"

"It'll be interesting travelling with you again.."

"Ditto, though I may not get much sleep with you around."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You keep talking!"

"I'm soooorry." Ridly began to snore as he lay face down on the bed with his head buried in the pillow. Rayne looked at him in disgust, and rolled her eyes. "I don't believe you!" She said, taking a bullet and smacking him in the head with it. Ridly rolled over with his .44 in hand, pointing it at Rayne.

"WHAT! What's going on!"

"I can't believe you fell asleep on me!" Ridly put the gun back where it was. "I thought that was the point of going to bed!"

"NOT WHEN YOU"VE BEEN GONE THREE YEARS IT ISN'T!" Ridly rolled over.

"Look it's been a long day for me, I'll tell you everything in the morning."

"It'll be longer if you don't tell me now."

"_Christ!_" Ridly sat up on the bed and glared at Rayne. "I've been wandering the wastes for a long time, most of it was spent guarding caravans and shooting raiders." Rayne looked down at him, her eyes locked with his.

"Good night Ridly..." She said softly, before turning over, and closing her eyes, sighing softly.

"Good night Rayne," Ridly said under his breath as he lay back down and fell asleep. Rayne looked up to the ceiling and sighed. She didn't mean to make him upset...


	2. Chapter 2

Some thing woke Ridly just before dawn, a presence in the room that didn't seem right to him. He heard the click of a pistol hammer and grabbed his .44, he shot to a sitting position and blew the head off the raider who had his pistol aimed at him. Rayne woke up dagger in hand, seeing the dead Raider at her door.

"What in hell..." Ridly was up and sliding the clip into his .44.

"Raiders, we ought to leave and take shelter in town." Rayne nodded, sliding out of the hammock, and down to the floor, picking her gun out of the small closet and started out of the trailer, opening the door, and shooting the raider closest to the door point blank. Ridly only stopped to retrieve the raiders gun as he brushed past Rayne and sprinted towards town. Rayne followed after him, shooting the raiders closest to her trailer...that was the best place she'd have left...they'd have hell to pay if they stole or destroyed it. Ridly killed a few raiders but mostly tried to keep them off of Rayne as he made it to the first building. Rayne ran in after him, and closed the door, leaning upon it.

"Were raiders following you when you came through here?" She said angrily, looking outside.

"No, not that I know of but this town would be a good base for them you have to admit."

"Possibly..." She sighed. "Ghost town for a while, and still has supplies."

"And it has been deserted for so long no one will think to look here for raiders."

"Agreed..." Ridly studied the gun he had taken off the dead raider.

"Colt .45, not bad for raiders, I bet some of them have SMGs!"

"That can't be good." She muttered, putting her gun through one of the holes, and taking out another two from behind.

"No, that's great! If I can get my hands on some of that stuff..."

"If you don't get shot first."

"How do you think I got my hands on this shotgun?"

"Luck."

"And surprise!"

"You went in the cave while they were sleeping?"

"No! The guard didn't see the .44 round come at his from around the corner."

"Ah...my bad." Rayne said. "One problem. WE were supposed to get out of here, and HEY GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY TRAILER!" Ridly aimed his .44 through a window and took the head off of the raider near the trailer.

"Who else do you know who can snipe with a Desert Eagle?"

"Me...I taught you how stupid." Ridly shook his head and motioned Rayne to follow him to the back of the building as the raiders returned fire on the front. Rayne watched, taking another one out from behind, and walked after Ridly, hiding behind a different building. Ridly watched the raiders advance on the building they had just left,

"There! See the two with the funny shaped pistols, those are SMGs!"

"Yeah, I know, not stupid Rids." She said back to him.

"Sorry...we have to get those weapons! If I know enough about raider tactics, those two will be the first into the building and the first to secure others."

"Alright...then let's go in." She said, looking towards him.

"No let's wait until they go to clear the next building, your going to have to move fast to beat these guys but you're good enough."

"Oh thank you master Ridly." She retorted, and looked towards the building. Ridly crouched and waited, he could hear two raiders moving inside the building, he held up five fingers to Rayne and waited. She nodded silently, looking towards the building, ready to go at any time. Ridly saw one of the raiders pass by a broken window, he stiffened, hoping the raider wouldn't see either one of them, he prayed to look like part of the landscape. Rayne's eyes traveled with the raider as it kept walking, muttering back to one of his friends. "Tell me when..." She said softly, looking towards him. Ridly began to count down with his fingers, when he got to three he readied his DEagle and the .45, when he felt the raiders where in the vicinity of the door, he nodded to Rayne and dropped two more of his fingers.

Rayne steadied the gun on the window's ledge, and watched as the first raider came through the door. She easily put a bullet through the man and watched as he fell, shooting the second afterwards. Ridly ran through the door, and was surprised to see two raiders facing him with their guns pointed at the door. He dived under their barrels just as they let rip a wall of lead, he rolled and came up between them, Ridly fired two shots into each mans chest. Ridly took a second to admire his handy work then began to gather up the SMGs as he motioned Rayne to join him. Rayne stood up as well, careful to check for any other raiders hiding in the corners, before walking out to meet him.

"They're gonna be more."

"I know, I know, let's get up stairs," Ridly handed her one of the SMGs. "The both of us made enough noise to wake the dead."

"Yeah, I know." Rayne says, taking a quick glance at the raiders, and then back up to Ridly. "You know...your gun has enough power to kill them with a bullet, so why did you use two?"

"Timing, mostly and some of these suckers are hyped up; it takes a tank round to take them down." He motioned her up the stairs and then followed. Rayne nodded, running up the stairs quickly, her braid bouncing behind her.

"How many raiders are in a group slick?" She said looking out the window as a couple raiders ran by.

"Raiders have their own rules, there can be as many as a hundred," Ridly played with the selector switch on the SMG. "They're going to try and surround the building, we better hide."

"It's stupid to hide if they already know we're here." She said to him. "They'll just blow up the buildings one by one and wait for screams." Her eyes traveled over it. "And I don't feel like dying today."

"I doubt they have much explosives if any." Rayne smirked a bit. "So we wait?" She said, looking towards one right below her. "I don't think that's the best idea in the world..."

"Well would you prefer to surrender or spring an ambush?" Ridly tensed as he watched more raiders rush into the first floor.

"You've known me long enough to answer that question by yourself Rids..." She said softly.

"Wait for it..." Ridly had barely heard her, he was to busy watching the raiders downstairs. "Ok, when I say three, I'm gonna jump the railing and hopefully surprise them, you cover me with the SMG." Ridly slowly put his SMG on the ground and drew his pistols. He positioned himself on the railing. "Ready...Three!" Ridly leapt the railing and plummeted towards the first floor firing.

Rayne fired at every raider that got close to Ridly, her lips pulled up in a small smirk, as a couple at a time, they went down. Ridly shot two in the head on his way down, hit the ground, rolled and came shooting, taking out four more. Raider bodies where everywhere, Ridly ejected his clips to reload when he felt hard metal jam roughly up against the back of his skull.

"Drop you gun over the railing and come on down, sweet thing, before I decide to blow your boyfriend's head off."

"Crap." Ridly said and dropped both pistols. Rayne growled a bit, and sighed, dropping the SMG down below, and then jumping down in front of Ridly. Ridly looked at Rayne with terror in his eyes. The raider wore blood red metal armor and had an ornate Desert Eagle mashed against Ridly's head. Rayne looked towards Ridly, and then to the man behind him.

"If...you let him go, you can do whatever you want to me." She said quickly, her eyes never leaving the raider's.

"Well, well, I don't like you understand you little whore!" the Raider gave her a smirk, "I can just shoot him and then do whatever I want with you anyway." Ridly stared at Rayne, he begged silently for her to run. Rayne's eyes nearly narrowed, before she backed up a bit.

"Don't shoot him."

"Why shouldn't I, Slut! You both killed my men, I think you both deserve to die! But not before me and my men have our way with you." She growled softly, her eyes going to Ridly, basically saying that she wasn't going anywhere.

"You're not doing anything with me."

"Oh really, well just watch as I kill him then we'll see how resistant you are!" The raider began to pull the trigger, Ridly heard the click as the trigger caught the hammer and began to slide back. He knew he was going to die, he panicked and did the only thing he could think of; he backed up. The barrel of the pistol slid off his skull and went off right next to Ridly's right ear. The raider let out a yelp of surprise as he and Ridly got their legs tangled up and they fell. Ridly made a blind grab for the gun as the raider tried to adjust his aim. Ridly and the raider wrestled for a few minutes before the DEagle went off three times.

Rayne's eyes widened as she tried to get closer to them, but she was starting to get dragged away by raiders.

"RIDLY!" She shouted, kicking one off of her. Ridly gagged and rolled off the raider's body, covered in blood. All the raiders stopped and stared. Ridly looked at the gun and hit the clip release switch. He examined the clip and then pulled the slide, "Huh, raiders on a budget, only four rounds in the gun." Ridly slid a fresh clip in the pistol, pulled the slide and shot one of the raiders, holding Rayne.

"Anyone else care to tango!"

"Damn it you scared the hell outta me Rids!" She shouted, kicking one hard in the stomach, she dropped to the ground and came back up with the SMG.

"Easy Rayne," Ridly got to his feet and lowered the pistol. "It's sort of a caste system; he who kills the boss is the boss."

"You want to be the head of a gang of raiders?" Rayne said, putting the gun on one shoulder.

"Not exactly, Everybody that doesn't care to die right now please put down your guns!" The raiders began to slowly put their weapons on the ground, a few kept their weapons and one approached Ridly and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Ridly smashed the pistol into the opening, breaking several teeth, and emptied the mans skull. Rayne winced a bit as the back of the mans head was sent rolling to the ground, and then looked towards him.

"Then what are you doing?" Ridly gave the armed raiders a cold stare and they dropped their weapons.

"Teaching lessons." Ridly said coldly.

"Ridly." She sighed, walking towards him. "Let's just get out of here." Ridly watched her leave then he followed, when he got to the door he turned.

"If I ever see you harming others again, you will all die!" Rayne looked towards him as he walked out, and then continued walking towards the trailer.

"Damned raiders..."

"Quite, well at least they won't be coming around here anytime soon." Ridly followed her into the trailer.


	3. Chapter 3

Ridly looked down at the pistol in his lap, the gang's leader had almost killed him with it. It had 6 rounds he knew but really puzzled him was how a raider had gotten his hands on something so well made or ornate. Rayne looked towards it, taking it out of his lap as she walked out of the door, and stepped out.

"It's nearly perfect..." She said softly, pulling the clip out and slid it back in. Ridly followed and stood next to her as she examined it.

"Yeah, it's great, but what really bothers me, is where he got it from."

"Stole it from an arms caravan probably..." She said. "It'd scare me to think there were people giving high quality arms to raiders.."

"Maybe we should check the bodies to see if there are any clues on the corpses." Ridly began to walk towards the rundown hotel.

"Hn..." She said softly, and then nodded. "Yes...the leader probably has some ammo for your new toy, and I could pick up some as well." She said, looking back towards him. Honestly...she never wanted to go back in there...not after Ridly...she shook her head a bit. He'd changed...

When Ridly arrived at the hotel where he had almost lost his life he wasn't surprised to see that there were no signs of the raider's presence except the bodies, the raiders had scurried away with their weapons which wasn't all that big of surprise.

"Just as bad as roaches." She said, kneeling down to one closest to her. "Ugh, man these guys reek...ever heard of baths gentlemen? I know they're luxuries but Jesus.." She stripped his top jacket off of him, pulling the guns and clips off of them, and tossed them to Ridly after making sure they weren't loaded. Ridly examined them.

"Hmm, M9s and 9mm ammo, they probably raided an empty military base for this stuff." Ridly knelt down next to the boss and began to unbuckle the straps to his metal armor. This stuff was better than his combat leather in a straight firefight any day. He found two more DEagle clips with four rounds each. Then Ridly found what he was looking for, a match book with the words Marries Push stenciled across the front but with the 'h' crossed out and 'sie' written in above. Rayne walked over to him, and frowned.

"Great, crude sexual puns...what's that for?" She said, looking up at him.

"It's a place I know pretty well out west, full service joint. You know bed, beer, guns, and women. Looks like an old gym but only if you can see through the smog." Ridly pocketed the clips and the match book, then walked upstairs and retrieved his SMG. "If we're going to leave tomorrow we'll want to load up as much ammo as we can. I'm going to get my pack."

"We're going there?" She said, looking towards him, and picking up a few more guns. "Are you sure it's still there...if raiders were there, seems like a pretty destructive joint...do they have men there too? It's been a while."

"Oh it's still there, that place is like a roach, even a nuclear bomb couldn't kill it. And, no, there are no men there unless you want to play as a hooker." Ridly walked back to the trailer for his pack and quickly returned.

"Great..." She sighed, and then looked towards him. "Sounds like fun..." She said, and then looked around, looking at the bodies that were already being eaten by some of the smaller roaches. Ridly bent down and retrieve an M9 and then filled his pack with as much 9mm ammo as he could.

"The ammo for the SMGs and the M9s is interchangeable take as much as you can." She only nodded, taking several clips of ammo off of each guy, handing the clips to Ridly as she followed.

"We leaving tonight or in the morning?"

"In the morning, but I want to leave at first light, it could take us up to 3 weeks to get where I want to go, depending on conditions." Ridly handed Rayne one of the DEagle clips. "Keep the gun, if you don't use it maybe you could sell it for a good price." Rayne looked towards the gun, and pulled her baggy shirt up , holstering it next to two other guns. One of which Rayne had made herself, she pulled that one out, and opening the clip.

"This one fits SMG's and M9's as well."

"I see you haven't lost your touch." Ridly was examining the gun.

"It's getting dark, how about we go back to the trailer and call it a night?" She nodded, looking up to him.

"Yeah, the roaches, and the other things come out at night." She said, and then walked out, picking a final clip off the ground on her way out. Ridly hoisted his pack up and followed.

"So what else is there to eat besides stale beer?" Rayne looked towards him, and then towards the flickering grocery store sign above the building across from the hotel.

"Hmm...I dunno.." She teased, walking the other way. "How unobservant of you Ridly."

"Fine, but you get to cook." Ridly shouted as he jogged towards the store. After a while he came back to the trailer with an arm load of various goods, from microwave dinners to Hamburger Helper.

"Honey, I'm home and I come bearing gifts!" She only laughed, taking the top set of microwave dinners off of his load, and leaving him to climb up the stairs with his burden, already sitting in front of the microwave and reading the directions. Ridly dumped his load on the counter and sat back in his chair, laying his pack at his feet and sipping the last few drops from his beer.

"You want lasagna or chicken Parmesan?" She said, looking up to him, and sliding one of them into the microwave.

"I'll take the chicken, but hey I'm sure they both look and taste the same by now."

"It's Italian...they both looked and tasted the same to begin with...cheese, meat and pasta." She said, and looked towards him.

"Point, just cook em' we'll sort it out later." Ridly got up and fetched two more beers from the fridge. She nodded, as the microwave pinged softly. She took it out, pulled the cover off, and stuck a fork in it, handing it to him.

"Ah delish!" Ridly happily dug in and soon finished his and took a long pull on his beer. She was halfway done by the time he finished, and nodded, looking towards him.

"Know what?" She said, taking another bite out the lasagna. "This crap in a box makes me want my mom's cooking...or at least her recipe and the real deal ingredients...you ever had home made lasagna?"

"Probably at some point in time yeah, doesn't mean I enjoyed it though." Rayne, only looked back down to her food, and then threw it in the trash, she didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Going to bed." She said simply, going into the bed room, closing the door but leaving it unlocked. Ridly propped his feet up and put his head back and soon fell asleep


	4. Chapter 4

He was awoken by fiercely loud rock music that began to boom from one of the rooms.

"What the hell?" Ridly stood up and upon finding the source of the music opened the door. Rayne looked towards him and grinned. The whole room was basically decorated in computers, and the loud music was coming from the speakers around it. She smiled. She was wearing a dark blue tank top and baggy jeans to match, at the moment a pencil was in her hair and she was looking around the room.

"Hey Rids, ready to get on the road?" She smiled, shouting over the music.

"Uh, yeah, you packed, I hope you don't plan to take any of that stuff with you?"

"Hon...this trailer moves." She laughed, looking towards him.

"You gonna tow it cause I'm not?"

"Why do you think the computers are here?" She turned down the music, and stuck the pencil in her pocket. "The trailer tows itself...remember cars hon? With the motors and the things that work by themselves? It's all in there, just variations on a theme...it needs batteries instead of gas, and fortunately I got tons of those. You didn't think I was gonna leave all my stuff here did ya?"

"No not really, so let's roll." She smirked, and typed a few things into one of the computers, and suddenly a whirring noise was heard, before the trailer started up, and they began motoring at a nice speed of 60 out of the town.

"Well change of plans, if this thing can go as far as we need it to we may only be traveling for a couple days. I love smart women." Ridly flashed Rayne a smile. She grinned back at him, and then sighed.

"The only thing is though, we get to be bored out of our minds doing it..." She said, looking towards him, and then getting an idea, starting rummage around in the closet. "Do you have cards!"

"Playing cards? I think I have a deck in my pack somewhere." He began rummaging through his pack before producing a battered deck. "Bingo! Here it is." Random boxes were thrown at of the closet as she went, seeing strange games...what the hell was 'Sorry!', and other things inside the cabinet.

"Might I ask what you're looking for?" Ridly was standing behind her and dodging boxes that came his way.

"Not for anything in particular, just seeing all the crap we COULD do..." She said, before looking towards a rather defunct looking computer all the way back there.

"Ok how about we start with cards and move on from there. Any game in particular?"

"Nope." She said, pulling out the computer. "If I get really bored, I've always wanted to see how this thing works."

"Ok so what should we do?" Ridly sat down in his chair and looked at Rayne expectantly. Rayne blinked once, then shrugged. "Up to ya."

"Put the computer down and get over here and play cards with me." Ridly dumped the cards out of the torn box and began dealing out a poker hand. "Five card stud." She grinned, turning the chair and sitting on it backwards. "Ahh...Rids, you really DO wanna lose to a girl don'tcha?" She grinned, taking her hand.

12 hours later

"Gag that's what, 16th hand you've won in a row, are you sure you not cheating." Ridly was flustered but in good humor, he had bet his shirt this round and was looking to get out while he still had his pants. She stuck her tongue out him, wearing his baggy shirt on top of her tank.

"Now, now, don't get upset. You won a couple." She said, looking towards him. "One more hand for the night, and I'll let ya have all your stuff back...if you lose, I get your pants."

"Great, I hope to god I win this round." She dealt the hand and looked up to Riley, no emotions on her face, as she dropped to cards and added two more...full house. She looked towards Riley, and nodded.

"You good?"

"Oh yeah just great, but you're going to have to come and get these pants!" As he laid his various cards on the table and made a break for one of the rooms in back. She only laughed, throwing the cards down and catching him in the room before the door locked shut, and grinned, locking it behind her.

"Oh so you wanna play do you?" Ridly said joking as he made his way to the opposite wall. Rayne nodded, looking towards him.

"Oh yes." She grinned, looking towards him. "Bring it." Ridly worked his way around the room trying to get a clear shot at the door while staying out of Rayne's reach.

"You gonna come and get me or do I have to do everything?" Rayne only ran towards him, tackling him to the ground with momentum.

"Oof!" Ridly scrambled to get away without losing his pants. "I still say you cheated."

"My ass." She laughed, looking towards him. He did look good without a shirt on, he was compact but had a nice six pack on him if she did say so herself. She stood up, and smirked confidently, edging towards him again. Ridly was still on the floor and suddenly found his back up against the wall. "Well um..." She smirked, taking the edge of both pant legs and pulling. Ridly grabbed his belt loops and held on and trying to scramble away at the same time. She laughed, dragging him across the floor, her hair falling into her eyes. "Come on Rids!" Ridly realizing he couldn't get away grabbed Rayne around the knee and pulled her down on top of him.

"Well now Rayne how's about I take my clothes back.?" he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Rayne only looked towards him, the same smug smirk present on her face.

"What do I get if I do give ya your clothes back?"

"I let you go," Ridly said wrapping his arms around her.

"Hmm..." She said softly, looking towards him. "Decisions, decisions.." Ridly squeezed.

"Hurry up I might just get some…weird ideas." he said with a big grin. Rayne only laughed, letting go of his pant legs, and shrugging herself out of his grip.

"In a couple days that might just be interesting...dunno yet though, not bored enough. But it's been a long time ya know.." She grinned, walking out the door. "A girl can get sexually frustrated." She laughed, winking at him, before going to pick up the cards.

"Yeah, well I'd like my shirt back sometime soon, " he said following her and stopping to get another beer from the fridge. She looked towards him, and pulled it off slowly, walking towards him, and handing him the shirt, before taking a beer herself.

"We were just playing for fun anyway...I was wondering how long it'd take you to catch on."

"If that's your idea of fun, remind me to play again sometime." Ridly pulled his shirt over his head and gave his beer a pull. She shrugged, looking towards him.

"I had fun."

"No kidding, so did I. By the way where did you toss my boots?" Ridly began to rummage through some of the stuff on the floor.

"In that pile near your SMG."

"Oh yeah, hey look a package of hotdogs! Hey they don't look too bad. Rayne when's the last time we had a campfire?" Ridly was grinning ear to ear as he held up the package.

"It was a night when the radiation levels weren't high enough to give us cancer." She said, throwing a glance over her shoulder. "You're not serious Rids.."

"Why not they're still good and we would only stop for maybe an hour anyway." She chuckled, walking into the computer room, and the trailer rolled to a stop.

"Alright...let's cook some hot dogs." She said, looking towards him as the door opened. Ridly started a fire with some boards lying outside and when he found to good sticks he handed one to Rayne.

"Grab a weenie and cook 'em," he said putting a hotdog on his own stick and hanging the stick over the fire. Rayne looked towards him, and laughed, sitting next to the fire, and tossing her hair over her shoulder so it didn't get singed.

"You are the strange one." She laughed, putting her hot dog on the stick and staring at the fire, her hot dog roasting on the stick.

"Shoot! I forgot do we have any buns?" Ridly was trying to get his very well done hotdog off the stick without burning his hands. "Besides yours I mean," He said smiling at Rayne.

"You wish you could get your hot dog between my buns." She said, giggling, before throwing a pack of buns at him. "Got 'em before we left." Ridly raised his eyebrow at here but couldn't keep a straight face and broke out in a barking laugh. He put his hotdog on the bun and took a large bite out of it.

"How long has it been Rayne, since I came back?"

"Two or three years I suppose."

"That long, wow." Ridly lay back on his elbows and took another bite out of his hotdog.

"Yeah..." She said softly, and then looked up. "But I was only by myself for a year, year and a half tops." She said, pulling hers off the stick and putting it in the bun, and taking a bite. "But...there's no sense of time anymore, it's either cold or hot, and it gets that way immediately..."

"You haven't changed much, grown a little maybe but that's it. Who else was with you?" Ridly was suddenly interested in the history of this woman he felt he knew all his life but hadn't seen in many years.

"Hmm? A couple of guys from the shelter who went with me...a raider party came by..." She said softly, taking another bite of the hot dog. "They were both killed, and the only reason I got away was because I had one of the guns with me while I was sleeping...it was totally unexpected.." She said, looking up towards him. "I finally found a town that was still decent so I stayed here a while."

"God I'm sorry Rayne if I had known..." Ridly felt a little helpless and more than a little angry at himself for leaving them all and her especially.

"It's not your fault Rids, really." She said, looking up to him and smiling faintly. "It was a one in a million chance, you couldn't have known...you might not be here today if you had come with us."

"Well it is sort of my fault, I left to find fame and fortune and you get attacked by raiders." Ridly had lost his appetite and tossed what remained of his hotdog into the darkness.

"Ridly." She said softly, but firmly, looking to him. "It's not your fault." She walked over towards him and sat down. "There was nothing that could have been done if you were there...don't take this out on yourself."

"If I had stayed...I... you... well things would have turned out better. You done with your food?"

"Basically. Please, Ridly, It's okay...I don't blame you for going out like you did, hell, if I wasn't so into computers and mechanics, I might have joined you." She said, pouring the bucket of water over the fire, and looking towards him, extending a hand to help him up. Ridly took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Let's keep going, we should be close by sun up." Rayne nodded, and smiled at him, before walking into the trailer.

"One more round of five card stud?"

"Oh no not the way you play, no way no how." Ridly was in a happier mood now as he followed her into the trailer. She only chuckled, and walked into the computer room again, turning the computers on, and made sure they were still going to the same destination, then walked towards him.

"Okay...we're good for the night...batteries should last us till noon, and I've got another pack primed and waiting." She said easily, and looked towards him.

"Well then I suggest we go to bed then. What say you?"

"Agreed...and you actually get the bed tonight, not the chair in the kitchen." She laughed, setting herself down in the hammock, and putting the gun, safety on, underneath her pillow.

"Oh joy you mean I might actually sleep tonight?" Ridly moved through the kitchen and into the bedroom closing the door behind him.

"Yes, sleep may be accomplished, there's some rocking that puts me to sleep all the time...sometimes I set it to go around in circles..." Ridly barely heard Rayne talk as he drifted off to sleep.

Rayne only looked towards him, laughing a bit as she closed her own eyes, pulling the blanket over her, and looked out to the sky. "So much prettier if there were stars..." She said, before going to sleep herself.


	5. Chapter 5

Ridly awoke with a start, before he realized he was still in Rayne's crazy moving home.

"Rayne, are you awake?" he called as he pulled his shirt on. Rayne moaned irritably.

"Dun wanna be but yes..." She said sleepily, and pulled herself into a sitting position, looking at him.

"I hear something, stop the trailer." Ridly walked into the kitchen and tried to get a look out one of the windows. She yawned, jumping down and walking into a room, as the trailer stopped.

"What is it Ridly?" She said, looking towards him. Ridly grabbed his DEagle from the floor and opened the trailer door only to find a caravan of astounded people talking excitedly outside.

"What in the..." Rayne raised an eyebrow, looking outwards.

"Bloody hell..." She muttered, walking outside.

"Hello, what's going on here folks?" Ridly was dumbstruck.

"He-he-hello, you speak our language stranger?" Said one member of the caravan.

"Well yeah I do, are you the leader of this caravan?" Ridly now was confused as to why they thought he wouldn't be able to speak their language. "Rayne do you have any idea what is going on?" She shook her head, and then looked towards them.

"Uh, are you okay?" She said, looking down towards them.

"We've never seen a vehicle like yours before, some of us thought you where aliens, " said the leader.

"Oh we're not aliens, she's just very smart." Ridly motioned over his shoulder at Rayne. "Are we close to town?"

"Yes you are. Only about 500 steps or so, but you might want to be careful, the government has been overthrown again and another drug lord has claimed control."

"Jeez, so what else is new." Ridly muttered then he said. "Thanks for the information," and headed back inside. Rayne smiled at the people, before closing the door, and laughing.

"Aliens! Ah, that's classic..." She laughed, before starting the trailer up again. "Yeah, we're about a half an hour away."

"Anything's possible now a days, did you hear that we were almost wiped out by robots designed rebuild our civilization. Aliens are not far off."

"Really?" She said, her eyes gleaming with interest. "Robots..." She grinned. "That sounds like fun."

"Or so I heard from this old guy, I guess he was pretty drunk claims he fought super mutants and killer robots for something called the 'Brotherhood'. Whatever that means." Ridly shrugged. She smiled.

"Intriguing..." She thought aloud softly, before her eyes looked back up to him. "So, Marrie's Push is it? What exactly shall we be finding there?"

"Guns, drugs, drinks, and hookers. The usual."

"Why are we stopping there I mean?" She said, looking out the front window, and seeing the huge building coming up ahead.

"I'm gonna find out where those raiders found all that military surplus. It never hurts to have a lot of big guns lying around." Ridly was glued to the window as the city began to come into view. She stopped the trailer, and parked it behind a building.

"If this gets stolen...you realize I'm killing you." She said, stepping out, and taking a bag of stuff with her.

"Hey, if you didn't think to install an anti-theft system its not my fault." Ridly said as he grabbed his pack, closed the door and headed out after her. "Besides I'm pretty sure the locals are either too stupid or too high to figure your system out anyway, hell I can't figure it out when I'm sober, so there." Rayne nodded, taking a pen out of her pocket and touching it to a button underneath a handle.

"I did install an anti theft system, there's a stream of infrared now between the door and the frame, that light gets tripped and nerve gas goes off." She said, picking up her bag and slinging it across her shoulder. "Let's go." Ridly worked his way through some of the streets until he stopped in front of a building with the sign Marrie's Pussie painted in big red letters mounted on the roof.

"We're here." Rayne nodded, and followed him in, her hand already touching the gun holstered on her back.

"Gotcha." She said easily, looking to the place. The place was filled with smoke that burned the eyes and closed the throat. Ridly strolled up to the bar where a topless woman was serving drinks.

"Evening Ridly, haven't seen you around for a while, shall I give you your usual room and send Sasha up when she's done with her other client?"

"Nah, we'll be fine," Ridly said as he pointed to Rayne over his shoulder.

"Oh I see, you do know Sasha doesn't mind other girls?"

"Now is not the time Jesse, just give me the key to the room," Ridly said, tossing 5 coins on the bar top. Rayne coughed as the smoke entered her lungs, and she looked around, seeing a lot of drunken men and girls being fondled at tables...great place.

"Sasha?" She said, looking towards him, as she started up the stairs.

"Well um...don't ask just don't ask." Ridly said opening the door to a small but well furnished room. She coughed out a puff of smoke, walking into the room and plopping down into the couch.

"I don't have a problem with it..." She said easily, and looking out of the window. "Interesting that the waiter knows you by name and girl."

"She also knows me by a few other things, but that's not the point, this is a good place for a hired gun to pick up jobs." Ridly set his pack on the bed and looked at Rayne. Rayne only shrugged.

"So, where are we going to look?" She said, coughing a final time before getting back up. "Obviously there are no large amounts of guns here."

"You'd be surprised. I'm gonna go scratch around for some information, If you leave, take plenty of ammo with you. Oh and if Sasha shows, and I'm sure she will, tell her I'm not in the mood." Ridly then turned and walked out.

"I'm not going with you?"

"I'd prefer if you didn't; some of my contacts are a little skittish and it's hard enough to get them to talk when I'm by myself." Rayne nodded, sitting on the bed.

"Okay...fine...but I'll probably be back on my trailer by the time you get back...I hate these kinds of places...I feel my lungs turning black as is."

"Can't say I blame you, if you're not here I'll check the trailer then." Ridly walked off down the hall and descended the stairs to do his business.

Rayne only nodded as he walked out the door, and sighed, opening the window, and easily jumping out. There was no way in hell she was going to sit anywhere while Rids had all the fun...maybe she could get into an old fashioned bar fight...

Ridly arrived back at the bar in time to see someone get mashed into the wall, he dodged the bar fight and headed upstairs. As he suspected Sasha was waiting for him.

"Look, I've had a long day and I'm not in the mood right now, I'm here with company and she…wouldn't approve." Sasha lay sprawled on the bed, propped up on one elbow. "But honey, you know I don't mind."

Yes, yes, but she's not that kind of girl and like I said I'm _not_ in the mood." Ridly didn't wait for Sasha's answer, Rayne wasn't in the room so he headed for her trailer.

Rayne was busy putting some ice in a bag for her arm...stupid punk punched her hard enough, when she heard the door open.

"Hey Rids..." She smiled.

"Hi Rayne, what... the _hell_ did you get into?" Ridly was worried because it looked like Rayne had picked a fight with a very large individual, several in fact. She smirked a bit, looking towards him.

"The bar fight." She said, turning to face him. "It really doesn't hurt as bad as it looks like it does; they look way worse." She smiled, putting the bag of ice on her arm and wrapping it there with some gauze.

"Bar fight where? At the super mutant pub?" Ridly's fear was draining away into anger.

"No, at Marrie's Push genius." She said, looking towards him. "I'm alright, really." She said, before sitting down in a chair, and taking a sip from a can of beer.

"Have you looked at yourself? Good god." Ridly began to sputter about collecting various medical supplies from around the trailer. "Look at this! Did you know some idiot cracked you lip? And that...it looks like your gonna have a black eye there!" Ridly applied some ointment to Rayne's split lip. She took the small tube from him and only laughed.

"Overreacting much?" She said, applying a bit to it, and then looking towards him. "I...am...fine, okay? Ridly." She stood up, and started walking towards the bed room. "So, what did you find out!" She called. Ridly sagged a bit, as she walked past him.

"Well I have a lot on my mind right now, I did find the relative location of that base our fan club raided, I also found a guy willing to sell us weapons and ammo cheap, and then... well..." Ridly trailed off.

"Then well what?" She said, walking back into the room after changing into a different shirt, hers had gotten all bloody...stupid people can't take hits. "Ridly...what else?" Ridly had fished another beer out of the fridge and had finish half in the time it took Rayne to ask her question.

"Well two things really, some old lady accosted me on the street, grabbed the front of my shirt and started shouting about the return of the "Chosen One", whatever the hell that means, and she didn't stop until some local grabbed her by the arm and led her off. The second thing is that the new head honcho of town heard we were here and wants to talk some business over tonight."

"The drug lord?" She said, looking towards him. "Hn..." She said softly, closing her eyes. "Great...is he coming here or are we going back inside Marrie's? And...Chosen one...seems interesting..." She looked up to Ridly. "Any idea of what she was talking about?"

"Actually, he wants to meet us at his place, the fortress like building in the middle of the city. And no I have no idea what the old lady was raving about." Ridly finish off his beer in one large gulp. She 'hn'd' again, and then nodded.

"Alright..." She shrugged. "This couldn't be that bad...do you have any relatively decent clothes?" She said, looking towards him. "Or is that it? This guy seems pretty powerful if he over threw the government..."

"Honestly? I think I could show up in full body armor and the only thing he would say is how nice and shiny it is. I'm going as is, you can wear whatever you want." Rayne only laughed, and then got up, taking a bundle of clothes with her and walking out of the trailer.

"I'll be back soon, first, I need bath." She said, closing the door behind her. Ridly wondered where Rayne was going to find a clean shower in this town, but decided not to dwell on it and returned to the room for his pack.


	6. Chapter 6

Rayne walked back towards the trailer, smiling a bit, the black eye was easily covered by a little foundation and she had glossed over the cut in her lip as well. She put her hands into her baggy dark green jeans, and walked into the trailer.

"I'm back." She said, looking for Ridly. "Rids?" Ridly was in the bathroom.

"Be right out!" He finished his business and opened the door. "Well Rayne you look much better, the foundation almost completely hides the shiner, if I didn't know it was there I wouldn't have noticed. Ready to go?" She only nodded, looking out the door.

"Yep..." She said, walking back out of the door, and then towards the fortress like building, as the wind picked up. "Great..." She said, looking around to watch the dust start glowing neon green faintly.

"I guess we're lucky to have been invited to this thing, new management and all that." Ridly strolled after Rayne wearing his leathers and his pack, with his DEagle slung under his arm for easy access. He looked a little on the rough side.

"Yes, we're so going to be on the 'in'-list now Ridly, we'll be invited to all the best shindigs..." She mused, putting her gun into one of the baggy pockets on her side, and then putting a few daggers into her sleeves. Ridly merely shrugged as they approached the gates, a large man with an even bigger gun stood outside.

"Name."

"Ridly," Ridly stated as he shifted his weight from his left foot to his right. The guard consulted a list and waved them through. Rayne followed Ridly silently, and heard the door ease shut behind them.

"Fun..." She said softly, looking up to the building that looked more ominous up close. Ridly only nodded and kept going, when they arrived at the front door guard held out his hand and Ridly slid the clip out of his DEagle, when the guard didn't take the clip Ridly slid the clip back into the gun and grudgingly handed the guard his pistol. Then the guard turned to Rayne and held out his hand. Rayne looked once into his eyes, and then back down into his hand, sliding the gun out of her pocket, and sliding two daggers out of her sleeve, and putting them in the man's palm. The guard gave Ridly one more glance and waved them on, they walked down a hall filled with chandeliers, large mirrors and expensive looking paintings. Ridly could only wonder how such relics survived, not only the bombs but the continuous gang battles that raged throughout the city. At the end of the grand hall lay an even grander dinning room with over 50 seats and at the door their host waited for them.

"Ridly nice of you to come and who is this lovely woman you've brought with you?" Rayne nearly growled, but looked towards him.

"My name is Rayne..." She said softly, looking towards him. "Any particular reason why you wanted us?"

"What a lovely name," their host bent forward and kissed Rayne's hand. "My dear I wanted to discuss business opportunities with our mutual friend here. But that can wait, first we eat. Oh Ridly why don't you get rid of that pack, I shall have it taken up to your room." Ridly felt a tap on his back, not too much pressure but just enough so that Ridly knew he really didn't have a choice. Ridly slid off his pack and handed it to the goon who had taken his pistol.

"Food," Ridly uttered.

"Yes, yes you two shall be seated on my right side with the chief of the Fins." Rayne raised an eyebrow but kept silent, taking her hand back as quickly as possible as she started glancing around the walls. Everything was too...wrong. It felt wrong here...

"I don't like this Rids..." She said softly, as the man went to take his seat at the head of the table. She started walking as well, and already knew how these kinds of meetings went, she'd seen too many of them, and had no desire to be a part of one. Ridly caught her hand just as they were about to sit down, and put it on the small of his back, to let her feel the bulge there under his coat. He let go of her hand and held her chair out for her before taking his own seat. He eyed each of the men at the table sizing them up but most where too busy admiring Rayne to notice. She nodded, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ears, as the last dagger she hadn't slipped out of her pocket caught a bit of the light. She nodded back, and then looked around, and sighed. Great...she got to be eye candy, yet again...stupid genetics...

"My colleagues let me introduce myself to those of you who don't know and hate me already;" their host said with a large grin standing at the head of the table. "My name is Petrov, I have invited you all here to talk business but that would not do in such company," Ridly looked about him at the various men, some dressed in suits, others in scarred metal armor. "First, we must dine and drink." Rayne only looked towards him, seeing as several people started walking out through a door behind Petrov, and set plates down in front of all of the occupants of the table, wine was poured and there was water as well. She sighed. Oh yeah...there were no good things coming out of this one. Ridly slouched and sniffed his drink after it was poured taking a tentative sip then a larger gulp. As Petrov's staff served plates of food Ridly began to eat like a savage, eating meat with his hands and drinking straight from his soup bowl as some of the less dignified guests were also doing. Ridly caught Rayne's eye and winked then attacked a leg of chicken with fury.

Rayne only blinked, nearly laughing. She managed to keep a straight face, and although didn't go at it with a gusto like Ridly was, didn't use all of her hard learned table manners. As dinner wound down and desert was served, much of which never even made it into Ridly's mouth, Petrov made an announcement.

"My friends, dinner has kept us far later than I expected and I would like you all to be my guests for tonight and we shall conclude business in the morning. My guards will show each of you to your rooms. Please do not touch anything you see under penalty of dismemberment." Petrov said this with a light hearted chuckle but Ridly didn't doubt his words. As each guest finished in his own way, guards came and led them away. When Ridly had cleaned his plate of everything using his tongue he stood and began following the guard behind him when he noticed that Rayne did not have an escort. But when Ridly tried to stop and go back, his "escort" put a firm hand on his shoulder and led him upstairs. Rayne finished dessert, and looked towards Petrov, seeing as he was the only one left in the room. She knew that was going to happen, she wasn't stupid. She looked up, taking a sip of water. She hadn't touched the wine, she wanted to be fully alert tonight...she didn't trust tonight. She remained calm on the outside though.

"Petrov." She said simply, acknowledging his presence. Petrov stood and walked over to her chair.

"I'm sorry if you feel singled out, my dear, but I wanted to offer you a drink in my office and to get you away from that beast of man you call 'friend'. I dare say, why do stay around him? Does he hold something over you or is it just his natural charm?" Petrov offered her his hand as he slid her chair back.

"He's a good bodyguard when need be..." Rayne said simply, taking his hand and standing up. "And I shall be escorted to my room afterwards, correct?"

"Correct, make no mistake, you are a beautiful woman but I have many at my beck and call so you need not fear anything from me, I just wish to talk to you over a drink." Petrov lead the way up the stairs with two guards following.

Ridly was surprised as how nice his room was, he heard the guard close the door after him. Or should he say tomb? Ridly retrieved his silenced SOCOM from his hiding place and fired. The guard let out a small "oh" before he crumpled on the ground. Ridly turned and fired four more shots into the guards head before reloading.

"Maybe your boss should have gotten you kevlar suits." Ridly had suspected a trap and the plastic sheet on the floor confirmed it. A nice way to remove problems without messing the carpet. Ridly quickly retrieved the assault rifle from the fallen guard and moved to his pack, taking out the blood red metal armor he had taken from the raiders and strapping it on over his combat leather. It wasn't combat armor but it would do in a pinch. Ridly shrugged on his pack and kicked open the door to his room and shooting the two waiting guards in the head. He only paused to retrieve the spare rifle ammo before moving down the hall, SOCOM at the ready.

Rayne followed him up the stairs, every so often touching her palm lightly. She'd be prepared if need be. Her father taught her that. Her eyes darted back up to him as he opened a door to his office. She walked in wordlessly. She didn't want to set him off that she wasn't just some stupid girl who didn't know anything. The dumber he thought she was the less he'd be on his guard. She looked towards the desk, and the closed cabinets in the room, and sat on his desk, waiting for something to happen. One of the guards stayed outside, the other remained behind Petrov. Rayne could see a small bulge near his pocket, and sighed. Both of the men were loaded. She only had her dagger. Damn it...

Petrov smiled as he moved over to the bar, "What would you like to drink my dear?"

"Charlo't." She said easily, looking back towards him. "If it isn't too much to ask." Petrov nodded and made a big show of making their drinks in front of her so she could see everything he was doing. When he finished he handed her the drink and sat down on the couch.

"Don't worry my dear, everything will be fine. Now tell me about your friend Ridly."

Ridly was running low on ammo for his SOCOM when he found the armory. He easily dispatched the two guards inside and retrieved his DEagle and the M9 they had taken from his backpack, "I believe these belong to me." Ridly loaded up on ammo for the DEagle and even managed to find some .45 ACP for the SOCOM before vacating the room.

She took a small sip, and looked towards him.

"What do you want to know?" She said, looking towards him. She noticed the guard had walked behind her, bad sign...if she said something that tipped the man off, she was dead in seconds flat. 'I swear to God Ridly...'

Ridly had removed his silencer and had the SOCOM and DEagle in both hands when he broke into the medium sized ball room. The guards sitting there, were surprised to see him and even more surprised when he let loose with both pistols. They lamely tried to return fire but they all soon fell to his combination of .45 and .50 caliber ammo. Ridly quickly dropped the SOCOM and holstered the DEagle and unslung the rifle from his back as he moved to the other end of the room. A shotgun blast shattered the door just as Ridly moved to the side. Several shotgun blasts filled the ball room with lead as Ridly took aim through the wall and fired. He heard a shriek as the gun kept firing.

When Ridly moved out to finish off the rest of the guards in the hallway he noticed that the shotgun had done most of the work for him and he only had to finish off two very scared guards. Leaving the SOCOM where it lay, having run out of ammo, Ridly reslung the rifle and retrieved the shotgun and ammo from the dead guard then opened the door to the stair well and made his way to the top floor.

Petrov smiled as he sipped his scotch.

"To start…tell me how you two came to know each other." Rayne looked to him, taking another sip of her drink. She heard a couple shots down stairs, muffled by the walls soundproof walls, but she could still hear it. That would be Ridly. She turned to face him.

"We met for the first time at a shelter outside of the old boundaries of North and South Carolina." She said, looking towards him. "You know, where the whole drug cartel started in the first place." Petrov only smiled and sipped his drink.

Ridly came out of the stairwell only to duck back in as the guard standing outside Petrov's office emptied his silenced M9 into the doorframe. Ridly came out steaming and marching quickly down the hall. The guard caught in the middle of reloading, noticed the shotgun in Ridly's hands and decided to smash the case for the emergency fire axe instead.

Petrov put his drink down, folded his hands and sat back, " How well do you know Ridly and his methods?"

"I really don't see why you want to know all this personal information about Ridly..." She said, her eyes drawn back to her drink as she shook it a bit in her hands. "But, I know his methods well enough to tell you that neither you or I will be in this place long. You because you'll be dead, and me because he's taking me out of here with him."

Ridly ducked a downward swing of the axe and parried a sideswipe with the shotgun before tiring of the game and blowing a large hole in the guards chest. Ridly charged forward at the office door.

Petrov nodded and said. "Did you know, that Ridly is here now?" The guard drew his DEagle and moved towards the door only to fly backwards as the shotgun blast ripped the door off its hinges. Ridly marched in and pointed the shotgun at Petrov's face.

"Petrov," was the only thing Ridly said. Rayne only nodded a bit easily.

"Yep, I already knew that." She said, taking one of the guns out of Ridly's pack, and shooting the other guard in the room, before looking towards Petrov. Petrov could only smile and applaud.

"Well done, well done. You seem to have done well for yourself. No doubt you reasoned this meeting had two goals. One to get rid of my enemies and those too weak to pass the test and two, to find myself a new head of security." Petrov moved forward and grabbed Ridly by the shoulders as if to hug him but aware of the shotgun barrel in his stomach. "Ridly, my boy, you have passed the test. These men here were only mercenaries hired to test you. They appear to have not been worth the money I paid them. But no matter, now that my enemies are all eliminated, I would like to offer you and your lovely accomplice here positions as head of my security task force. What do you say?" Rayne's eyes widened as she looked towards Ridly. She knew Rids...at least, she thought she did...but he seemed different, not different enough to take this, at least she didn't think he was.

"Ridly..." She said softly, looking towards Petrov, and then back to her friend. Ridly raised the barrel of the shotgun to the ceiling, and looked Petrov in the eye.

"Well this is a really nice fortress you have.."

"Yes and you will have the run of it," Petrov agreed.

"And the armory is fantastic..."

"And there is more where that came from."

"But..." Petrov was looking a little agitated now.

"Go on name your price; I will gladly pay it." Ridly's eyes brightened a little.

"Ridly." She said again, looking to him. "You can't..." She could see the look in his eyes, he had all the intention to. She wouldn't do it...she couldn't. This was the kind of shit that got them in this mess in the first place...this was the stuff that lead up to all the bombing and all the war...and he wanted to become a part of it now. "You can't be serious Ridly..." Ridly looked at Rayne with a twinkle in his eye and slight smirk on his face then he looked back at Petrov and said.

"But I've already made other arrangements." With that, almost 30 armed and angry guests kicked in the doors and rushed in, surrounding Petrov and Ridly.

"TRAITOR!" was all Petrov yelled as he drew his pistol in one fluid motion and fired two shots, point blank, into Ridly's chest before disappearing under a hail of automatic fire. Ridly fell like a brick wall.

Rayne's eyes widened. "You bastard!" She shouted angrily, and bent down to Ridly, taking the top armor off to see how far the bullets went down. "Rids...Ridly..." She said softly, pulling him out of the way of fire and into an unoccupied corner. "Ridly!" Ridly managed to open his eyes, just a little and said.

"Next time you get to rescue me." before he blacked out. She pulled off the leather set of armor, pulling out one of the bullets that stuck itself in there, but saw a clean hole in his chest.

"God no..." Coming to a few seconds later Ridly looked down at the hole in his chest, sucked in an breath of air and winced.

"The man is an awful shot, missed the lung by centimeters, I would have missed by millimeters."

"Damn it Rids..." She said softly, smiling faintly as the shell fire died down. "You scared the hell out of me..." She said softly, pulling her dagger out, and cutting into the wound, taking the bullet out. Ridly stiffened as her dagger dig in then he relaxed as she pulled the bullet out.

"Can't you wait to doctor me until we get out of here," he croaked. The "guests" were standing around the two as she applied first aid. "Your making me look bad in front of the guys."

"Not the time for testosterone induced bravado Rids." She said easily, and took a pin out of her hair a took a bit of thread from off of her clothes, and poured her Charlo't over all of it, before sewing up the wound, wiping it off, and then standing up. Ridly was pretty quiet while she stitched him up, partly because he didn't have any thing to say but mostly because he was biting his lip and trying not to scream. When she finished he let out a sigh of relief and tried to sit up.

"Gimme a hand here...I can walk...I...I've had... worse," Ridly looked down at the slug Rayne had removed. "Well, maybe not." She helped Ridly up, and then looked towards the guests who were all openly staring at her. She coughed once, and they got the point, and started exiting the room. She looked towards him.

"You alright?

"I'm gonna have a hell of a heartburn for the next couple weeks but otherwise, yeah I'll be...fine." Ridly looked at the bloody pieces that remained of Petrov. "So what did you guys talk about while I was away?"

"Nothing much." She shrugged. "The only thing he really got around to asking was how I met you and how I knew you." She started walking out the door, making sure her boot landed in a piece of Petrov's face.

"Sounds pleasant, this has been quite a night and now I'm ready to go to bed." Leaning on Rayne, Ridly walked out of the building.

"Maybe we should stay here for the night, their beds are probably more comfy then ours.." She said, looking down at the dead guards around them. "On second thought, the smell might get to me..." She chuckled, and started walking with him. "Why on Earth didn't you just shoot him to start off?"

"Hey that would have been too easy, no flare, no drama, you wouldn't want a boring life would you?"

"I would want a life that we actually LIVE through..." She said, looking towards him, and walking towards the trailer.

"Well, we can live through tomorrow and then take it from there how does that sound?" Ridly said giving her a peck on the cheek. She looked towards him, and nodded, smiling a bit at the short kiss on the cheek, before she opened the trailer door, and helped him inside.

"Alright then Rids..." She said, and put him down on the bed. "You Sleep. Now." She said, looking towards him. "And I want NO discussion." She said. "You shouldn't get an infection...at least I don't think so...but I might have to redo your stitches..." Ridly was asleep almost before she finished. A happy smile on his tired face.

Rayne smirked at him, he was cute when he was exhausted; she kissed him on the cheek softly, before getting into her hammock and going to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Ridly awoke to his rumbling stomach. He tried to role over but pain shot through is shoulder as he quickly remembered his wound. He gasped and cursed under his breath but tried to keep quiet. Rayne moaned softly, but didn't wake up, only turning over in the hammock. Unfortunately, given the nature of hammocks, she was awakened anyway when the hammock turned and she fell out of it. Ridly heard a thump and tried to sit up, he clenched his teeth and almost bit his tongue. After he got his breath back he called.

"Rayne? You ok? Fall out of bed again?"

"Shut up..." She mumbled, getting to her feet, as she looked at him. "Laugh and I'll redo your stitches." Ridly only snickered a little as she gathered herself.

"Well if you'd be kind enough to help me up I know a place that serves fresh eggs for breakfast." She tossed him a shirt and helped him off the bed.

"I don't see why a chest wound has anything to do with your legs." She laughed, starting to walk out of the door.

"Hey, you try moving your legs when you can't breathe; it's harder than it looks. Oh and this place also sells painkillers and medical kits but that's beside the point." Ridly was felling pretty good this morning, save the throbbing pain in his chest and the stabbing pain every time he breathed.

"Hmm...guess we'll be picking some up then eh?" She said, looking towards him.

"Where to?"

"Bout six blocks east of our 'hotel, you'll know it when you see it." She nodded, continuing to walk. "Maybe I should go, and you stay here...I'll bring you stuff back alright?" She said, turning to see him. "I dunno how far you'd make it anyway." She looked back towards the trailer.

"Oh no you don't, those eggs are as good as mine besides I'll make it, that's why I have you here as a crutch." Ridly smiled at her as he continued walking through the city, enjoying the "fresh" air and the morning silence. Rayne only smiled, walking side by side with him so he could lean on her whenever he needed to.

"So ARE we going to New Reno after this Rids?" She said softly, looking up to the sky. It was pretty today...the sky still was red orange, but she could see a little light violet that reminded her of when the sky was blue.

"We'll get there, but not before I get healed up. Reno's not as bad as this town was but still... Ah and here we are." They stopped in front of a small wooden building with a giant wooden egg on the roof. The aroma coming from the building almost lifted Ridly off his feet as he floated through the door. Rayne only laughed, following him as she walked into the building.

"RIDLY! Good to see you, got shot up again I see. You weren't near the fort last night by chance were you?" A middle-aged woman greeted them cheerily as they walked in. The building actually looked better on the inside, plenty of windows to let in the light and spots of wallpaper gave the restaurant a gentle air abound.

"No Anna, I was no where near the fort last night, I was over at Marrie's, you can ask Sasha." Ridly greeted the woman just as warmly.

"Sure you were, but the company you keep says otherwise. Who's the lovely young lady that you've wooed this time?" said the old woman with a twinkle in her eye.

"Anna this is Rayne, we're traveling companions." Ridly said.

"Sure ya are Rid," she said giving him a wink. "What can I get for you two?"

"I'll have you famous painkiller omelet Anna. Rayne?" Rayne only laughed, and ordered the same, except without painkillers. As Anna prepared their food she on the stove behind her, she began to talk.

"So Rayne how long have you been with this character?"

"Long enough to get attacked by raiders, Play Ridly out of everything except his pants, get in a bar fight in Marrie's and get invited to a drug lord's house." She said cheerfully, looking towards the woman.

"Everything accept his pants! Rid I'd say you where losing your touch. You used to be able to scramble out of those knickers in less than three hands. Goodness. I suppose last night was his idea of a big date? I swear this boy has been shot up more times than some of the local gangers. Just look at him, he's barely hearing me, just so happy to be alive and in the company of woman." Anna flipped their omelets over.

"Actually...we were playing poker...he lost everything but his pants..." Rayne smiled, looking towards Anna..."And you'd think he'd take the pain better..."

"Rids, what you need to do is settle down, you keep getting shot up and there may not be a beautiful woman there to save you all the time. I mean just look beside you, she is a beauty. Rayne, darlin, if you can talk this hound into settlin' down I'd be eternally grateful. But I think I've embarrassed Rid enough and look, I have more customers." Anna slid their plates to them and gave them each a glass of water.

"Thanks a lot Anna," Ridly said with a grin as he slid a bunch of coins her way. Rayne smiled at the lady as she walked to the next set of customers.

"She's nice." She said softly, taking a bit out of her omelet. "And really good with a frying pan." She said, taking a sip of water. Ridly happily gobbled the contents of his plate and drank his water.

"She is a wonder. She likes to mother me and every girl I come in here with gets the same story. But I think she is genuinely concerned 'bout me."

"Seems like it." She said, looking at her. "If half of what she said is true in the first place, seems like you need someone to do it for ya." She said, looking towards him. "How many times have you been shot?"

"I lost count after a hundred and twelve, but only if you count the buckshot." Ridly shrugged and immediately regretted the gesture as he took deep breaths.

"Bloody _Hell _Rids!" She said, looking towards him. "And you were upset about me getting a black eye and some bruises?"

"Well, I've gotten used to it, I take it as part of who I am and what I do. I don't expect you to have the same attitude just because you're around me."

"Ever think that was part of me too?"

"Honestly, I hadn't considered it," Ridly said taking a long look at her. "I guess I've always been more concerned about taking care of others than taking care of myself." She only sighed, finishing off her omelet.

"Seems like you've forgotten more about me than I thought ya did." She smirked a bit, and hopped off the seat. "Come on, let's get that medical kit and the painkillers." Ridly paid for the painkillers and the kit, popped the bottle, swallowed a handful and handed the bottle back to Rayne.

"After you madam." She took the bottle, dropping it in one of her pockets before starting to walk.

"No more for you until 4." She said, looking at the box it came out of. "And now we get to undo your stitches, and replace them with this so it heals right." She said, looking to him. "Sorry hon."

"S'okay, I'll be fine for the next couple of hours. And if you give me the stim in the kit, I'll be ready and raring to go." Ridly continued to walk but began to sort of stagger from side to side.

"Ridly...are you okay?" She said softly, looking towards him, and tried to steady him a bit.

"Oh I'M just PERFECT, just A lIttLe siDE effEct."

"What kind of little side effect!" She said, looking towards him, and then back towards the bottle. She could have sworn God was out to laugh at her sometimes. "Ridly..."

"I juss geT a liTTLe dRUNk." Rayne looked up to the sky.

"Why me...of all people..." She sighed. "Come on Riley...I've seen you down 8 glasses or Russian vodka in a row and can still walk a straight line, how much alcohol is in this?"

"noNe. hoW'S boU WE go BaK toO tHe traIleR FO sOME hOT NoisIE seX," Ridly stifled a very large yawn, " or SlEEp thAtS gooD TOO."

"I vote for sleep..." She said, opening the trailer door, and nearly shoving him in. "Sleep is good..." She said, and pushed him down on the bed. "You...sleep." Ridly began to drift off, mumbling about sex and other things. Rayne only sighed, walking into the kitchen, and taking the casing off the computer. He'd be asleep for a while...least she hoped until the medicine wore off...what a god awful side effect...

About two hours later Ridly's eyes snapped open.

"WWWWAAAAOOOOOWWWW!" Rayne only twitched, putting the magnifying glass she had down, and standing up.

"Dear lord..."

"Oh God! Ach!" Ridly had his hands on his face and was shaking his head every few minutes.

"Rids?" She said softly, as she walked in, toying absently with her braid as she did. "Are you in a semi conscious non drunk state yet?" She laughed, and then looked towards him. "What's wrong...Ridly?"

"Rayne...? Rayne, would you please stop the room...I'd like to get off." Ridly's head was spinning violently and he could barely see anything much less anything that would stay still for very long.

"Close your eyes, you're in hangover mode." She said, turning out the lights and pulling down the shades. "I'll go get you some headache medicine that doesn't turn you drunk."

"Drunk? No. Fucked up? YES. Oh God? Rayne, I'm sorry I forgot about the side-effects." Ridly was slowly getting a clearer picture of things. "Water! I need water! I'm so sorry, I just forgot!"

"Ridly...it's okay...okay...stop apologizing...please." She only laughed, tossing him a bottle of water. "I've seen worse...I think I've BEEN worse.." Ridly gulped the water and things soon resolved into a blobby mess but it was better than the spinning blobby mess.

"What did I say? What did I do? And WHY IN HELL DOES IT ONLY DO THAT TO ME!"

"Maybe it's because you don't get drunk normally, I mean, you can drink tons...but you never get hammered...and you didn't say anything except you wanted to have hot noisy sex with me." She said, grinning.

"Oh well is that, I WHAT!" Ridly sat bolt upright and searched for a blob that sort of resembled Rayne.

"Your exact words were : How's bout we go back to the trailer for some hot noisy sex?" She said, continuing to laugh, as she sat down on the foot of the bed. She threw the braid back over her shoulder and looked to him. "Don't worry, I didn't take you up on your offer or anything."

"You sure cause I can get pretty weird after taking some of Anna's special stuff?" Ridly was pretty sure that blob he was looking at was Rayne, in fact it was the door a little to her left.

"Sure, I'm fine, I asked for it without painkiller..." She said. "I wouldn't have hot noisy sex with you anyway...I'm not a noisy kind of girl."

"It's those over the counter things she sells, it only happens to me and only after a rough night. I dunno maybe it's just me." Ridly flopped back down in the bed. "I give up, you can play doctor if you want."

"The only way to get rid of these kinds of things are to wait 'til it wears out."

"I know, I know. I've had these little episodes before, I'll be in perfect health once my vision stops looking like Jell-O."

"No one's that quick of a healer..."

"Oh the gunshot, well I won't notice it for a while anyway. One of the perks you could say." Ridly was smiling at the ceiling now.

"Perks of what?" She said, sitting down on the bed and looking at him. "I'm a tad confused, how can you not notice a gunshot wound to a chest you got last night? Correct me if I'm wrong...but if it was me, that would be taking SERIOUS priority." Ridly was pretty pleased with himself although a little woozy.

"I won't feel a damn thing for maybe a week." Rayne raised an eyebrow, and then sighed, looking towards him.

"We can make some pretty good ground in that time if you're up to it..." She said, before sitting down. "Or we could stay here and-" She heard gunfire go off in the distance. "Uh..."

"What is it this time, and why do I get the feeling you have something to do with it?" Ridly looked at Rayne before staggering out of bed. She looked out the window, grinning only lightly, as she saw several, large, familiar, looking men, starting to run towards the trailer.

"Because in some ways it was all my fault..." She said, laughing nervously. "Remember the shiner and bruises? Let's just say I gave them a whole hell lot more than that...but now they're a tad bit...upset."

"You mean your wrestling buddies are sore losers and they've come for payback? Why am I not surprised?" Ridly staggered to one of the windows and looked out. She shrugged, and looked towards them.

"You feel like getting into it?" She said, looking towards the semiconscious man, and smirked a bit. "I mean, if you can feel anything at all..." Ridly grinned.

"Oh I'm good for a fist fight but I wouldn't give me a gun until later." Ridly's vision was clearing up pretty well now, he could now pick Rayne out from the rest of the trailer. Rayne looked towards him, and only nodded.

"Up to you." She said, pulling her hair into a bun, and grinning. "Let's go have a little...fun..." Ridly followed her swaying out the door. She hopped out, her booted feet kicking up a bit of dust as she looked over them...there were only 4 or 5...couldn't be that hard could it? She smirked.

"Hello Cain." She said softly, looking to the tallest one there. "I'm sorry...did getting your ass kick by a girl upset the theories driven into your head that women are weak and therefore easy to take, and therefore must reprove your masculinity to yourself by trying me again?" Cain growled, still trying to decipher half of what she said, and took a step closer, drawing a dagger.

"Hey buddy, put down the shinny metal object before I shove it up your ass." Ridly staggered out of the trailer and stood beside Rayne he had left his boots off and his pistol holster was empty.

"Stay out of it." He snarled at Ridly, and then looked back to Rayne. "This fight is between us and the bitch." Rayne only smirked.

"I wouldn't waste my time." She laughed. "If I knew it wouldn't be so much fun seeing the look on your faces after I took you down." She looked towards him, drawing a dagger of her own.

"Now wait a minute," Ridly staggered after Rayne, he was swaying pretty badly now. "Nobody calls me a bitch." Rayne nearly laughed, and looked back to Ridly.

"Ridly, go back in the trail-" She was cut off when she suddenly found herself against the wall of the trailer, her jaw throbbing painfully. Ridly saw the move before Rayne did and was moving before she hit the trailer, he grabbed Cain's arm and twisted the wrist until he let go of the knife, then Ridly made some quick cuts with the knife and Cain's shirt fell off in tatters. Ridly was now surrounded by Cain's men but he no longer held the knife. "You okay honey?" Ridly called. Rayne only stood up growling.

"Stupid...bloody...god forsaken..." She said, throwing down the dagger, and started running, tackling one, and kicking another as she went down. Ridly only watched moving just enough to dodge any swings that came his way. When Rayne stood back up she had one long cut down her right arm, but she was grinning, kicking the leader hard in the head before looking towards Ridly.

"Had enough fun?" Ridly moved to the side as one of the men put all his weight in a swing, and upon missing found himself on the ground, Ridly stood on his back. She smiled happily.

"My need to cause violence is fulfilled for now." She said, nodding, before looking towards the last one, and turning, her braid swinging behind her, as she punched one guy that was coming with a kick to her back as hard as she could. There was a yelp as Ridly followed Rayne back into the trailer, all the men took off a full run save Cain, who hobbled away in a sort of bent over posture.

"Cain I keep my promises!" Rayne only laughed looking towards the swaying Ridly, and then to Cain. "Don't come back or you might lose something a little more precious than your anal virginity!" Ridly could only smile at her. "Okay, now that was fun but next time they might bring something more dangerous than daggers, let's get out of here and then I'll take a look at that wound."

"Oh...they had guns if that is what you're worried about. They didn't get a chance to use them...at least...the ones I was fighting didn't...I felt at least two guns..." She said, nodding as she walked inside the trailer.

"I bet you liked feeling those guns." Ridly joked, "But let's just pack it up and go." She only laughed a bit, walking inside.

"Whatever Rids." She said softly, before walking into the computer room, as the adrenaline wore off, and she started feeling the long knife wound she had up her arm. She winced a bit, and started pressing in the buttons for New Reno.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay now let me have a look at that arm." Ridly carefully cradled her arm as he opened the medical kit. He swabbed the wound with antiseptic and pulled a needle and thread. "Would you like to do this or should I?" She shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me." She said, looking towards him. "You've stitched up before right?"

"More than I want to remember. Hold still." Ridly began to slowly and carefully stitch up the wound, his eyes moved back and forth between Rayne's arm and her face. After a short while Ridly cut the thread and applied a bandage. Then he kissed the bandage. "To make it all better." Rayne looked towards him, her eyes a little narrowed in confusion as he looked up to see her.

"You keep doing these things..." She said softly, her eyes never leaving his. Ridly sat up a little embarrassed.

"Heh...well you know just trying to take care of the people I care about." Rayne only nodded wordlessly, as the trailer started.

"Thanks for fixing me up Rids." She smiled, before walking out of the computer room, and into the kitchen.

"Um…you're welcome," Ridly followed and sat in one of the chairs, forsaking food or beer. She looked towards him, and then to the dissected computer on the table.

"So, what shall we do today?" She said, already fiddling with the wires feeding into the computer.

"Well you'd better take it easy with that arm of yours, so I guess that rule out playing cards."

"My ass...you just don't feel like losing everything again."

"Hey if you promise not to get physical, then you're on!" Ridly retrieved the deck and began to deal out another five card poker hand. She only laughed.

"Alright Rids." She said, taking up her hand, and leaning back against a wall, looking to her cards. "What do ya got?" Her eyes looked out to the sky, and saw dark clouds rolling over. "Oh fun...rain..."

"Rain for Rayne, three aces." Ridly laid his hand out on the kitchen table.

"Four Kings and a Queen." She said, dropping the hand on the table, as she looked back out the window. "Lovely...hope there's nothing in the clouds..."

"Peachy," Ridly put his boots on the table and dealt another hand. She only smiled, and watched the sky warily, as lightning struck and it began to rain.

"You know what would be our luck..." She said hesitantly, seeing the rain get heavier.

"We get stuck, Flush"

"Nice..." She said, throwing down four aces. "No...this ends up being a dry riverbed, and we get caught in a flash flood."

"Just my luck, I...wait a minute!" Ridly picked up her four cards then looked at the discard pile and back at Rayne raising his eyebrow. "Care to explain."

"Explain what?"

"These aces, babe."

"There's four of them..." She said, raising her eyebrow. "What of it. There ARE four aces in a deck." She said as the rain pounding onto the roof grew in volume. Ridly pulled his three from discard. "well now we have seven, fun ain't it."

She only shrugged, looking towards him. "It's your deck hon., I dunno what cards are in it."

"I don't keep seven aces in my deck, babe." Ridly wasn't angry, just a little bemused.

"I don't have playing cards here."

"Fine if that's how you want to play it anything goes." Ridly tossed his boots on the floor and mercifully followed with his socks. He dealt another hand and waited, his eyes on Rayne

Rayne looked towards him. "Are we playing Strip poker?"

"Is there anything else to lose?" She grinned.

"This may be fun!" She said, picking up her cards as she looked back to Ridly, trashing two of her cards and picking up another two. Ridly traded one and shook his head.

"Five queens" Her eyes widened.

"Bloody hell..." She said softly, and looked towards him, she put her hand of two pairs of jacks down, and took off her shoes.

"Huh, " Ridly looked a little surprised but just kept dealing. He traded four. She put down the whole hand, and picked up another set, looking over to him.

"Shoot."

"Pair of twos," Ridly shrugged.

"Four 10's." She said, looking to him and smirked, she was about to say something else before the trailer stopped. Ridly was half way out of his shoulder holster.

"Oh that's just great!"

"Just the battery, calm down." She got up, looking towards him. "Off comes the shirt next." She laughed, looking towards him, before sliding into the computer, and swore violently.

Ridly finished taking off his holster and tossed it next to his boots. Then he dealt out another five cards, traded four and waited.

"We're stuck here 'til the rain stops!"

"Hope we don't flood; four tens and a jack"

"We shouldn't...at least I hope not." She smiled, sitting back down, picking up her hand, putting three cards down, and picking up another three. "Royal Flush." Ridly tossed his shirt away and dealt again.

"Deja Vu, five nines." She looked him up and down quickly, and then put down her two pairs of queens, and easily took off her shirt, now only in a bra and baggy pants.

"Deal." Ridly scanned Rayne over then dealt the cards.

"Three fives." Rayne grinned, throwing down four queens, and looking towards Ridly expectantly. Ridly looked Rayne hard in the eyes, couldn't hold the stony look, grinned and put both feet on the table. He unbuttoned his pants and slid them off pushing them into Rayne's lap. Clad only in his boxers Ridly looked at Rayne and raised his eyebrow. Rayne smirked, throwing the pants into the bedroom, and then using one of her boots to close the door.

"Now then...deal." She said, looking towards him. Ridly dealt quickly, throwing away 3 cards and looking sourly at his hand.

"Nothing." He showed her the jumble of cards. She grinned, setting down two pairs of queens. "Ridly, Ridly, Ridly..." Ridly put his cards down, and flipped over the 3 he had discarded; 3 aces. She raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you do that?"

"I played to lose, Anna's right, I am getting rusty." Ridly grinned and stood, facing away from Rayne.

"Well...you know the rules hon., off come the boxers." She said easily, looking to him. She shuffled the cards, waiting for him to pull them off. Ridly reached down and stripped them off handing the boxers to Rayne over his shoulder. Rayne nodded, looking at the boxes and grinning.

"I didn't think you'd be a plaid kinda guy Rids." She laughed, and looked towards him. "Wanna try and play me out of my pants?"

"Well, I've literally got nothing left to lose." Ridly grinned and sat down quickly. He dealt. Rayne smiled, and took her hand, looking towards him. "You lose this one and you get to do something for me." She said easily, discarding two, and picking up another three. She looked out to the steadily pouring rain and hopped it cleared soon.

"Well, well, full house." Ridly laid down the cards. She put down a two pairs of 5, and easily slid out of her pants, looking towards him. She smirked a bit, feeling the cool metal of the seat against her bare legs, and then looked up to him. Ridly dealt another hand but before he gave Rayne her last card he said.

"I know it's cold in here but, darling; it is impolite to point."

"Hun, nothing I can do about that, laws of nature." She laughed, looking down to her bra, and then back up to him, taking the cards. "And besides...you just look so cute in your birthday suit." She smirked, and then threw out two, and picked up two more. Ridly threw out all five and looked at his new hand.

"Hmm, pair of kings and three queens." Ridly raised his eyebrows at Rayne.

Rayne looked towards him, and threw out a pair of kings, and then put down a pair of twos and a five.

"Alright Rids...which goes first? The bra or the thong?"

"Up to you, babe." he said and averted his eyes. He felt stirrings but ignored them as he dealt another hand without looking. Rayne casually tossed her bra to the side, but undid her braid. It was long enough to cover her, and then she looked towards him. "You can look, I'm decent." She said softly, before taking her cards. "Well...as decent as I can be being nearly completely naked..." Ridly chanced a glance, the settled back.

"Speak for yourself, " Ridly traded two cards and laid down, four 5s and an ace. She smirked, picking up two cards, and then only looking towards him, throwing down a flush.

"Well now what, I lost." Ridly was genuinely curious as to what Rayne had in mind.

"Hmm...what am I going to do with you...one last hand and then I'll tell you alright?" Ridly dealt with a raised eyebrow.

"Um pair of sex...I mean sixes." Ridly flushed. Rayne sighed, putting a jumble of cards on the table.

"Nothing." Ridly almost laughed out loud. "Well, we're even. Now what?"

"I don't strip, and you don't have to give me a back massage, last hand." Ridly dealt again with a grin. Rayne looked towards the cards, and threw out two, picking up another two, and then looking up towards Ridly, smirking a bit.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to lose," Ridly traded one card and placed down two kings.

"Because you are...royal flush." She laughed, and grinned, jumping up, before remembering she was naked from the top up, and wrapped her arms around her breasts, blushing furiously. Ridly leaned back in his chair and looked up at Rayne.

"My lady you are the winner, I am your slave." She only laughed, walking into the bedroom, and looking back to him.

"Come on, I'll even let you put your boxers back on." Ridly stood a little sheepishly, and followed.

"Well my luck seems to be turning around a bit." Rayne looked towards him, and grinned a bit, lying down stomach to the top of the bed, as she looked back at him.

"Does it now?"

"A little," Ridly said standing in the door way, still naked. She looked him up and down, smiling a bit.

"And you told ME it was impolite to point..." She mused, looking over to him. and then smiling. "Come here.."

"Well..." Ridly shut up and walked over to where Rayne lay. "Yes." She closed her eyes, and then turned her head towards him.

"'Member the first time we met?" She mused, putting her head back down.

"Vaguely, I bet you remember better than I do." Ridly was getting a little uncomfortable and used his hands to cover his nethers. Rayne laughed.

"That's only because I was half conscious and suffering from radiation poisoning..."

"Do tell." Ridly realizing decency was impossible at this point gave up and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You don't remember? I was like...in one of the medical labs, and you and some of your friends were messing around with one of your other friends that had broken his arm, and I told you all to shut up before I got up and hurt you."

"Oh yeah! And I threw the blanket at you, man were you pissed, you almost made it out of that bed too. You wouldn't have gotten far though, you would have collapsed if I hadn't sat you back down." She chuckled softly, looking towards him.

"I would have went down punching."

"You did; you broke my nose."

"Sorry hon..." She said, looking up to him, and smirking. "So...you gonna give me that back massage?" She said softly, looking towards him. "Maybe we'll just forget that embarrassing incident if we...happen to meet up with any of your friends..."

"You want a towel or should I just have at it?" Ridly asked

"Have at it...not like you've never seen a naked woman before."

"Very true." Ridly began to massage her shoulders, using firm pressure but trying not to cause pain. "Of course I don't give back massages very often, I get them a lot though. You seem a little tense." She looked towards him.

"We're stuck in a desert like area, possibly a riverbed, the wheels are stuck in mud, and we could possibly get taken away with the current...what could I possibly have to be stressed about." She said, chuckling a bit.

"As long as the trailer doesn't leak we'll be fine. " Ridly applied more pressure to a tight spot in the middle of Rayne's back. She moaned softly, putting her head back down.

"It shouldn't...at least I hope it doesn't..." She said softly, and then looked out to the sky, as the rain poured overhead.

"You like that, huh?" Ridly said grinning. He had moved to Rayne's lower back and was doing his best. "Where else are you gonna find service like this."

"Oh..." She moaned again, and looked towards him. "Rids, you're so full of it hon..." Ridly had stopped.

"You want me to go lower? I'm done with the back." She looked up to him, and turned around to look at him, crossing her arms so she was...adaquately covered.

"Nah...that's good." She said, grinning as she walked out of the bedroom. "You can put your stuff back on hon...even though you might have a little trouble putting your pants back on." She said, grabbing her bra and her pants.

"No trouble," Ridly fished around till he found his boxers, "Oh and Rayne, nice rack!" She grinned looking back towards him.

"And thanks for standing at attention Rids!" She said, winking once, before putting her shirt back on, and looking outside. "I'm going to go see what I can do about the wheels, wanna join?" Ridly had just finished putting his pants on, grabbed his boots, and saluted.

"Yes Ma'am!" She laughed, and put walked out side, and jumped into a huge puddle.

"Oh...that's disgusting.." She said softly, before walking around to one of the wheels. Ridly had one boot on and was hopping about trying to get the other one on.

"Wow is that rain cold. You see the problem yet?"

"Would if I could see the wheel! Grab the shovel outta the closet!" She shouted, looking towards the wheel, and dropping to her knees. Ridly squelched back into the trailer dug the shovel out of the closet and returned.

"Where do I start.?"

"At the wheel-like object covered in mud?" She laughed, took a heap of it, and pulled it away from the wheel. "We just got stuck in it was all...probably got inside the motors I had on it."

"Hope that doesn't mean you have to replace the motors," Ridly said over the noise of rain as he began to dig out the wheel.

"I shouldn't have to..." She said, and slipped through and got behind the wheel covering, opening the case, and looking around. "The motors are fine, just a lil goopy..." She said softly, and started emptying the motor case. Ridly finished up on the first wheel and started on the second.

"When do you think this rain will..." Ridly slipped and fell in the mud. She tried not to laugh...really...She got out, and walked towards him, nearly falling herself.

"Having fun Rids?" She smiled, taking the shovel, from his hand, and started digging.

"Not really, least I didn't ruin my good shirt." Ridly tried to scramble up and after several unsuccessful tries decided to take a break. She laughed, looking at him.

"Do you need some help?" She asked, standing up and starting to move to the third one. She leaned against the wall of the trailer, and her eyes widened. "Well, that's not good..." Ridly lifted his head out of the mud.

"What? What's not good?"

"Nothing, just the torrent of water coming for us..." She said, looking towards him, and then scrambling to the other side of the trailer. Ridly didn't bother trying to stand, he just scrambled around to the door of the trailer.

"Get inside!"

"But the wheels!" She said, looking back towards him. "It's still stuck in the ground!"

"Like I said get inside!" Ridly scrambled back to the wheels and began to dig as fast as he could. She looked back towards the wave coming their way, and looked towards him.

"No time..." She said, took his arm, and dragged him into the trailer, shutting the door after they were both inside.

"Well." He said between pants. "Now we brace ourselves." Ridly grabbed Rayne and threw her into the bedroom, and shut the door before climbing into the tiny bathroom. Rayne only felt herself get thrown on the bed before she heard something pound against the back wall. Her eyes widened and suddenly the trailer started moving. She sat back up, and felt another wave sweep over them, and the trailer lurched forward.

"GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM!" She shouted out to Ridly, before another lurch hit. Ridly had his hands by his sides and was trying to stay still but when the second wave his he smashed his head on the ceiling and blacked out. Rayne got off the bed, staying close to the wall in case another lurch hit, and made her way to the bathroom, pulling the door open. "Ridly." She said softly, and seeing him knocked out on the floor. She sighed, pulling out of the bathroom, and into the open, another lurch knocking everything off the table. Ridly groaned but didn't wake. She managed to pull him into the bedroom, and shut the door behind her, and heard water rushing around them. "We're riding it out..."


	9. Chapter 9

Ridly's head hurt, he didn't know why, he felt something warm next to him. A blanket? No, too hard to be a blanket, a body, yes...but who. Where was he last time? Sasha...no there was more after that. Who had been traveling with him...female...poker...bra...back massage?...rain, rain, rain.

"RAYNE!" Ridly shouted as he regained consciousness.

"Yes?" She said, looking down at him. "Good that you're awake now...how stupid can you be? 'Let's put myself in a tight space while the trailer's lurching back and forth'."

"I was trying to keep from getting thrown about, guess that didn't work did it?" Ridly said groggily. "You alright?"

"Me? Fine." She said, looking towards him, and then pushing herself against the wall as another lurch came out. "We're where? Near old California right? Where do you think this river ends up?"

"The Ocean? How am I supposed to know?" The pain in Ridly's head had quickly subsided and he was now concentrating on holding on.

"Exactly Rids...the OCEAN."

"What do you want me to do about it?" The stress of the situation was really making him irritated.

"I didn't say you had to." She said, looking towards him. "I'm just saying we have a problem a little more serious then before."

"Well what's the point of discussing it if we can do anything about it!" Ridly collapsed on the bed in exasperation. "Can we get back to doing something I'm good at, like killing stuff?" She looked towards him, and smirked a bit, looking towards the small computer that had slid into the room while she was looking for Ridly, and picking it up, starting to tinker with it.

"Maybe..."

"Great you work on getting us out of this mess, I'm gonna go let off some steam." Ridly lurched out of the bed room, and into the kitchen, suddenly there was a large crash as another wave hit." GOD DAMNIT!" Rayne laughed again, and peeled another set of wires over, and smiled.

"This might work after all..." She said easily, before looking out the window. Ridly grabbed a beer and collapsed in his chair.

"I'm thinking of playing Russian Roulette to relieve the tension!" He yelled into the bedroom.

"And waste ammo?" She said, looking towards him, and then looked out the window. "How about taking a nice leisurely swim to put this motor on the back of the trailer?" Ridly tossed his beer aside and walked into the bedroom.

"Ok hand it over." She handed the motor, took the beer and drained it, having the fan out of her room under her arm. Ridly walked to the trailer door and opened it," Well look at all that water." She looked towards him.

"Stay close to the trailer." She said, and jumped into the water, hand grabbing on to the various handles on the outside. Ridly grabbed a hand hold, took a deep breath, and swung himself under the trailer grabbing the axle to keep anchored. He wondered where Rayne wanted this motor. She saw him jump under, and dove down, motioning him to the back of the boat, before swimming back up, and shoved the fan into place, knowing she'd have to fix the leak on the inside anyway. Ridly followed, his head popped above the water as he placed the motor into her hands. She smirked. "Thanks!" She said, before taking it from him, and attached it to the fan, sticking the wires in through the hole she'd put through the trailer.

"Is that everything we have to do out here?"

"Out here yeah." She said, looking towards him, before looking up to the sky. Ridly grabbed her hand and towed her back to the trailer door.

"After you darling." Rayne got inside, and walked into the back most part of the trailer, already feeling the carpet soaking with water near the whole. She threw a towel around it, and then, pulled at the wires, finding a cord, and pulling the rubber coating off from around it. Ridly climbed in, shook himself and closed the door.

"We gonna motor out of here or what?"

"Will in a second...you see the wheel and pedals up there? there's a casing nearby, kick it open." Ridly found the casing and booted it open.

"Which wires you want me to cross?" Rayne looked towards him, and then closed her eyes.

"There's two green ones, and three black ones...the first black one, and the second green, with a red one."

"Right, first black, second green...where's the red?" Ridly looked at her a bit confused.

"Keep looking, it's in there somewhere." She said, pulling the wires and crossing two of them, cursing a bit...this was definitely a safety hazard." Ridly looked closely into the box, there was a bare wire in there.

"It ain't red but what the hell." He crossed all three wires and received a nice shock as a reward. "OOOWWW!" She sighed, and got up, walking towards Ridly, and kneeling down, she dug underneath some blue wires to find a red one.

"Yeah you get to do all the electrical work from now on." Ridly shook his hand to get the pain to go away. "Can we leave now?"

"Once I get these wires together with those, you get to drive us back the other direction."

"Can't wait." Rayne nodded, and sat in the middle of the kitchen, crossing the three wires, she handed Ridly a key.

"Put it in the ignition." Ridly took the key, put it in the ignition and started er up. "Hey it works."

"And my genius is documented once again!" She smiled, and then looked towards him. "Turn her around Rids!" Ridly turned the wheel and felt the trailer slowly begin to turn in the opposite direction.

"Well I'll be damned it works." Rayne only grinned, and curled the rubber around the wire to insulate it, and then looked towards Ridly.

"How goes it?"

"Well we're going, I can say that much, where is another story." Ridly was peering out the front but all he could see was water.

"We'll figure that part out later...even if we run onto the banks we can at least start moving in a direction we know again. It would be nice if the GPS still worked, but those got shorted out...probably when the satellites started dropping a few years ago." Ridly nodded and began concentrating on steering trailer. Rayne looked towards him once, and then walked into the bed room.

"I'll be making sure we don't both get electrocuted from the water." She called, and then shut the door, walking over to the hole she'd put it in the first place. Thank you lord for industrial strength fans.

"You do that I'm gonna look for dry land, do you know what direction we're going?"

"Rivers run downhill, and now we're going uphill. So we're either going North, or East."

"If we're going east I have a pretty good idea where we are, if not then I'm lost." She looked towards him.

"You got anything that has magnets in it?"

"Uh nope just guns sorry." She sighed, and then looked towards him.

"Crap..." She said, before tucking the towel tighter into the hole around the fan and motor. Ridly looked over his shoulder.

"What happened now?"

"Hmm? Nothing's wrong...it's just that this room's going to smell horrible once the carpet dries."

"Oh guess we'll just have to move the party somewhere else till we can get the smell out." She sighed, and lay down on the bed, trying to get her eyes to remain open, but unfortunately her body gave out. Ridly looked back, jammed the steering wheel so it would stay going in the same direction, and walked back to the bedroom. He tucked Rayne under the covers and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight princess." She mumbled something about hell and her being a princess but didn't wake up, only turned over in the bed, and curled up into a ball underneath the covers. Ridly couldn't help but smile as he walked back to the front unjammed the wheel and kept going.


	10. Chapter 10

She felt the trailer lurch as she rolled out of the bed, sheets and all, into the wall. "FUCK!" Ridly parked the trailer and ran back to the bedroom.

"You all right?" he asked as he help Rayne untangle herself from the wall. She nodded, throwing the sheets back onto the bed, before looking towards him.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Well I'm not sure, but I think we're close to New Reno. You gonna be awake for the next couple of hours?"

"Yeah, I'm fine for a few days." She said, looking towards him. "You figured out my computer system Rids?" I'm proud of you." She said, walking out into the kitchen.

"Actually, I've been doing everything manually, but I'm glad you're up so now I can catch some Z's." Ridly sat down on the bed and removed his boots.

"You could have woken me up Rids...I would have started things up for you so you didn't have to do it the hard way." She said, looking towards him. "Night." She smiled, before turning off the trailer, and then starting it up automatically in the computer room. Ridly lay down with his hands behind his head and fell asleep, he had fitful dreams of weird helicopters and strange sense of loss, the sequence ended with a pretty cool explosion in the middle of the ocean. Rayne opened the trailer door, the water that had found its way inside poured out as she climbed up to the roof, the trailer still moving. They were close to New Reno all right...she grinned a bit, before opening the hatch to the bedroom, and jumping down to the floor. Ridly awoke with a start.

"WHA... Oh it's you Rayne you startled me." She laughed, and threw a dagger between his legs, smirking.

"You're losing your touch my dear...if I was a raider well...you might not be having kids..." She laughed, and then walked out of the room. "We're almost in Reno!"

"I might just swear off women altogether if this keeps up," Ridly mumbled under his breath. "Can't wait to be back in Reno, wonder if I'll have to shoot my way out again…"

"Again!" Rayne said, looking back towards him. "What do you mean AGAIN...what did you do...are you still in trouble?"

"Probably, I got into some mess with some important people and they tried to make me lie down and play dead." Rayne sighed.

"Oh okay, that means we get to have fun trying not to get seen by spies of these very important people..." She said, as the trailer kept rolling in. She walked into the computer room, and the trailer shifted courses, and rolled behind an outpost building.

"Worried about spies I ain't; it's the general citizens that make me cautious. Oh and about the sex, plenty here just FYI." Ridly picked up his pack and put on his torn combat leather.

"Oh goody, I'm in need of that." She chuckled a bit, and found her own pack, and started putting guns, daggers, and other equipment into it. "What's up with the citizens?"

"They'll either take one look at me and either start screaming or start shooting," Ridly shrugged and remembered the wound in his shoulder. "Guess this is as good a place as any to do a little shopping." Rayne raised an eyebrow, and slung her pack over her shoulders, wincing a bit when it grazed her arm.

"Why not."

"They have some pretty nice places if you know where to look." Ridly stepped out into a surprisingly nice day.

"Ridly is that you?" Came a voice near some ruined cars.

"Oliver, nice to see you, how've you been?" Rayne smirked a bit, hopping out of the trailer, and into sunshine. She pulled her hair back into a bun, and looked towards the man.

"Old friend of yours eh?"

"Small world ain't it?" Ridly said with a smile.

"Ridly you should have seen the mess you caused, bodies everywhere, I can't believe you've got the balls to show up after all that, and with a woman to boot!"

"Hi, this woman came of her own free will." She said, fake sweetness dripping from her voice, as she looked towards the man, and then to Ridly. "What did you do..."

"Well...I sort of inspired a gang battle..." Ridly said sheepishly.

"BATTLE! Ha! Old Ridly here plum started a war." Oliver was grinning from ear to ear. "It was a sight to behold, and I would have, if I hadn't been busy running for my life. Ridly was working odd jobs for the two big bosses in town, shot both of them and blamed it on the other. I'm surprised any of them survived but you should have seen Ridly run when the shooting started, he was dead middle too!" Rayne only sighed.

"Dear lord..." She said softly, before looking towards Oliver. "Oh believe me, I've seen him in the middle of a fight, it's entertainment. Has a new boss sprung up already?" She asked, starting to walk towards him.

"Well some of the old boys survived but nobody's sure who's running the town no, we're all just doing our part ma'am," Oliver smiled at her.

"Oh god here it comes," Ridly mumbled.

"I say lady, you have some of the most beautiful eyes..." Oliver moved closer to Rayne. Rayne smiled sweetly, looking towards him, and then punched him hard right between the eyes.

"Thank you Oliver, I appreciate that."

"What the hell was that for?" Oliver yelled as he stumbled back holding his face.

Ridly couldn't keep from laughing.

"I should have warned you about her, she's a viper."

"I'll say she is. OW!" Oliver was chuckling a little now. Rayne only laughed, and looked towards him.

"I'm sorry, it's a reflex hon." She said, before looking towards Oliver. "You know a place where I can get a decent drink without getting hit on that much?" Oliver nodded but didn't open his mouth.

"The man learns fast. I'll give him that," Ridly chuckled. They followed Oliver to nice casino that had once said 'Desperado' but most of the letters were missing, it also had a fair number of bullet holes in it too. She looked towards the place, and whistled a bit.

"Man Rids, you sure did a number on this town..." She said, before entering the place.

"Hey I wasn't the one doin' the shooting." Ridly watched her walk in and sit down, Oliver caught his eye and raised and eyebrow, Ridly only shrugged and walked in. She looked towards the barkeep, and ordered a drink, and looked towards Ridly as he walked in. She noticed the whole room go silent, and sighed. NOT a good thing...definitely not a good thing. Ridly waved at the room.

"Hi everybody!" They all returned to what they were doing except a few who walked out. Ridly sat down next to Rayne and said," Two shots of your best and make it quick, troubles a brewin'." Rayne looked towards him, and sighed.

"Alright...when you were here...how many people were dead before you got out?" She asked him, taking one of the shot glasses and downing it. Ridly downed the other and paid the barkeep.

"Only half, or there about."

"Only!" She shouted, looking towards the bartender. "Another round please." Before turning towards him. "Dear lord Ridly...we're gonna get, wait, no, I'm sorry, YOU're going to get slaughtered."

"Only if people hold grudges that long." Ridly was felling pretty cocky. She looked around once, seeing the hatred in some peoples glares, and then back to him. "Yeah...looks like it."

"Well if that's the case then we'd best be prepared, come on." Ridly paid the barkeep for Rayne's second drink and walked out the door. Rayne sighed, and drank the second one, before going out to meet him.

"Now if he's still alive, there should be a gun runner on the other side of the city. This way." Ridly motioned for Rayne to follow. Rayne sighed, and followed him, adjusting her pack a bit.

"Is there a reason we need guns?"

"DEFENSE, oh and he sells other things, armor, tools, etc." Ridly's eyes moved back and forth looking for any signs of trouble.

"We HAVE guns..." She pointed out, following him. "You're getting all jumpy again."

"We _have_ guns yes, but we _don't_ have the biggest guns, trust me I've seen some pretty nice hardware, from both ends."

"Alright." She said softly, following after him, and looking up to see that he was leading them towards a building. "And how do you know if this gun runner isn't also pissed of at you?"

"I don't, but the guy's a sleaze; he'll sell to anybody." She only laughed a bit, and looked around seeing a few eyes peeking out at her in mild confusion, either that or lust. She only growled, turning back around to Ridly.

"Ah look, he hasn't left town." Ridly stopped in front of a nice looking brick building with the sign 'New Reno Arms' nicely stenciled on the wall. "If you look close enough you can see the bullet holes, let's go in shall we?" She looked towards the building once or twice, before following him in.

"Why not." The inside was a dump; shelves stacked with various junk. Ridly strolled in.

"Boy, you've got a lot of balls coming back here." Ridly turned and spied the store owner.

"That's funny…people have been saying that to me all day. What's new?"

"Besides having to repaint my shop because of what you did, nothing much. You gonna buy or just browse?"

"We were thinking of buying, let's see what you've got." The owner pulled a sheet off a table to reveal shotguns, assault rifles, various pistols, plenty of ammo for all three, a bazooka, and a mini-gun. Rayne instantly walked towards the bazooka.

"Ooh...momma likes this one..." She said softly, picking it up, and hefting it onto her shoulder. "Oh yes she does.." Rayne grinned, and set it down, looking to Ridly. "Can we get this one?"

"If you wanna buy it be my guest," Ridly was looking as some of the pistols lying on the table. "Ooh I've always wanted one of these!" Ridly hefted the pistol, it was bigger than his SMG by some amount. "Rayne catch!" He tossed it to her. She caught it, smiling a bit.

"This would suit you well hon. I'd get the SMG and you'd keep this one." She smirked, sliding the clip open.

"That, my friends, is a SIG Sauer 14mm semi-auto; in excellent condition I might add." said the shop owner.

"It's great, how much?" Ridly asked.

"Oh, about $2,680 sound right."

"Whoa, that's too steep even for me," Ridly said and motioned for Rayne to put the gun down.

"Aww...couldn't we just kill him and take all the guns?" She said softly, looking towards the man. "Then we could have all the fun we want..."

"Rayne just put it down," Ridly said and picked up 10mm pistol.

"Alright." She said softly, putting the gun down, and looked towards the owner. "And how much does Big Ben cost?" The owner chuckled.

"Much more than mister Ridly can afford I'm afraid."

"What about armor?" Ridly asked.

"If you can't afford the guns you definitely can't afford the armor."

"Rats, well I guess we'll just take some ammo then." Ridly picked up some clips for his pistol. "Hey Rayne you got any of those M9's on you?" Rayne nodded, looking towards the man, and handed him the guns and the ammo.

"Yep."

"No Rayne, keep the ammo, just the guns," Ridly instructed.

"Well these are nice pistols Ridly, did you a rob military base?"

"See told ya," Ridly smiled at Rayne. "Nope, some very unhappy Raiders did though." She took the ammo back and shrugged, fiddling around with the bazooka. "You know...with a few adjustments this would be an awesome flame-thrower," She said softly, looking towards the shop owner.

"A bazooka is a bazooka, let's keep it that way ok? Besides with the proper ammo, a bazooka is much more effective than a flame-thrower," Ridly said. "Come on lets go."

"Oh Ridly are you sure you don't want to buy this pistol? How about I give you a free sample?" Ridly spun around to see the owner pointing the 14mm pistol at his head. Rayne sighed, looking towards him.

"Can I kill him...PLEASE?" She said softly, drawing her handmade gun and shooting him once in the heart, once in the stomach and twice in the head. The owner crumpled to the floor with a surprised look on his face.

"Rayne…you had to_ ask_?" Ridly wiped his brow and then moved to retrieve the pistol from the dead owner.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to do it or not..." She said, "opening" the case and taking the ammo from the bazooka.

"Be careful with those rockets, there are only two of them, do not waste." Ridly had searched the body of the owner and come up with the pistol, about $4000, and a few stims. "Nice haul."

"Very nice...take the Sig." She said, motioning for the gun on the floor as she lifted the bazooka onto her shoulder. Ridly tossed some stuff from his pack and filled it with all the 14mm ammo in the store. Ridly then began to examine the other weapons on the table.

"Are you an assault rifle or shotgun type of girl?" he asked Rayne.

"Hello...Assault rifle." She said, looking towards the riffle, and picking it up, loading it and, putting the rest of the ammo in her pack. "Go get yourself some armor." Ridly grabbed the combat shotgun and all the ammo, then he moved to the door to the back.

"I wonder what's back here?" Ridly opened the door and was attacked by three very angry looking canines. Rayne's eyes widened.

"Well, curiosity killed the cat." She said, taking one of the pistols out of the case and shooting all three dogs with it. Just as she killed the dogs, Ridly let loose with a spray of buckshot, seven shells few into the air. Ridly lying in a pile of chunked dog meat, looked at Rayne and smiled.

"Did you know this thing has a selector switch on it?" Rayne rolled her eyes and looked towards him.

"Don't be surprised if you find yourself with a huge bazooka shaped welt the next time you wake up." She said, before looking towards him. "Can we go now?"

"Not yet let me check the back rooms first." Ridly said as he reloaded the shotgun. He stood and brushed off some of the dog chunks and walked into the back room. After a good deal of noise and stuff falling over Ridly shouted: "Rayne come here quick!" She walked into the back room, looking towards him. "What Rid...ooh..."

"Which do you prefer?" Ridly said holding up shiny suits, "Combat Armor or Combat Armor?"

"Ick..." She said looking towards the thing. "If my mom was here she'd kill me for putting that on...you realize this right? It's SHINING like the sun."

"There brand new never been worn, great stuff, stops armor piercing .223 ammo at a hundred yards. Try it on it's form fitting," Ridly thrust one of the suits at her. She twitched once, putting her pack down.

"IT sparkles..." She said softly, looking up to him. "It...Bloody...sparkles..."

"It will get duller once we get into some fights, but it will keep you alive along time." She sighed, and pulled the thing on, putting her pack back over her shoulder.

"Fine." Ridly whistled.

"Damn that looks good on you!" He stripped out of his old combat leather and put on the armor. "Ooh comfy!" She growled once.

"Watch it." Ridly looked confused.

"What? It's a compliment, the armor enhances your natural beauty...and those _curves_." She looked towards him, and rolled her eyes.

"Enough." She said simply, and grabbed the assault rifle. "Enough about my curves..."

"But I like your curves..." Ridly was grinning like an idiot. "I'm sorry, I'm acting like an ass, lets go." She only laughed, and started walking out, past the dog chunks, and out the front, looking at the bazooka one last time.

"Should I take it now, or are we coming back for it?"

We'll come back for it, if I have to I'll run through a hail of bullets for your new baby." Ridly said with a grin. Rayne laughed, and picked up the assault rifle.

"Alright then...let's go." Ridly put on the helmet that came with the armor and followed Rayne out the door.

"How do I look?" Ridly put his hands on his hips and posed. Rayne looked towards him and smiled. "Mahvelous Dahling." She grinned, putting hers on, and looking out through the screen. "Where to?" Ridly thought for a moment, "hmm, we could always go gamble some of our hard earned cash?"

"In this?"

"What are you worried about, your appearance? With the guns and the armor, they'll think we're just a couple of mercs looking for a fight."

"Fine fine...I don't see why you want to gamble..." She laughed looking towards him. "You're horrible at cards."

"No, I play to lose; and only in strip poker," Ridly grinned as he walked up the street. She laughed, following him as she slung the assault rifle over her back. "So you let me win eh?" She said, catching up with him.

"Or are you just ashamed to admit you lost...a lot...to a girl?"

"The first time I lost, the second time, well you had some pretty good hands but in the end I let you win. I don't regret it either, the reward was pretty nice." She smiled.

"Was it...did you have fun rubbing me down?"

"And then some." Ridly smiled back. She laughed, and looked up to a casino.

"There look good?"

"Yep that's fine, here you take $1,000 and I'll keep the rest; double the playing field and cause more damage that way." She nodded, and walked into the casino, the gun at her back as she walked up to the poker table. That was her game hands down, she got her money changed into chips, and looked towards the dealer. "We're going to have fun tonight..." As Ridly walked by he said.

"Watch her, she has a habit of drawing from the discard pile." Ignoring curious glances, Ridly hit the Blackjack table. The dealer raised an eyebrow dealing the cards. Rayne only chuckled, and got her cards, throwing out two as she went. She wondered who'd have the bigger win. Ridly played a few rounds of blackjack and then wandered off to the roulette table. Rayne played with a few of her chips absently, looking at all the angry glares directed her way, including the dealer. She only smirked behind the helmet...not her fault her dad told her how to play to win.

As Ridly played the roulette table one of the guards, dressed in a traditional gangster outfit, tapped him on the shoulder, Ridly had a short discussion with the man before following him into the back room.

Rayne looked towards her hand, throwing down two cards, and picked up another, smirking a bit before going around the table. Two people folded, and it was down to her, two other guys, and the dealer. She looked towards them, and put down her hand, smiling.

"Royal flush boys." She said easily, and they both dropped their hands. Both of them lost. She looked towards the dealer, who simply pushed the chips near her. She smiled...that was easy. A several gunshots resounded through the casino; everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the door to the back room. A few seconds later Ridly strolled out as guards rushed in.

"Damn it Rids..." She whispered softly under her breath, and took her chips, got them cashed, and looked to him. "Let's go?"

"Nah, I didn't do it this time." Ridly was very cool and calm, a second later two guards walked out carrying a dead man, which they promptly dumped on the sidewalk outside. She raised an eyebrow, and looked towards him.

"How much did you get so far?"

"I think I have a little over $3,500. You?"

"$6,450.."

"Cleaned out did you, well these might come in handy," Ridly handed Rayne 10 gold chits. She smiled, looking at them.

"Where'd you get those from?" She said, looking towards them, and taking her helmet off, looking towards it. "They genuine?" Ridly stuck a thumb over his shoulder at the back room.

"High Stakes; they don't like us anymore."

"No? Because we're cleaning up, or because of what just happened?"

"Because we've hit way over our limit." Ridly pointed at the 10 gold chips, "Those are worth about $1000 each." She smirked, looking towards him.

"Nice..." She said, and looked towards him. "Is this a kind of 'Here's your money and leave' kind of deal?"

"More or less, yeah. Let's go turn those babies in and split." She nodded, and looked towards him.

"Right then." She said, and started walking towards the change machines, when she felt someone grab her ass. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Urge to kill rising..." Ridly saw, whirled, and smashed his fist into her assailant's face, breaking many of the bones. She winced a bit, and looked towards him.

"You didn't have to hit him THAT hard!" She said, looking towards the man as he fell off his chair.

"Sorry, reflex," Ridly said. He took the chips from her hand, quickly deposited them and grabbed her hand. "Let's go." She only smiled sympathetically at the man before nodding to Ridly, and walking out of the place. Ridly hurried down the street until he thought they were far enough away. "Well now what should we do?"

"Umm...wait for gunfire?"

"I hope not," Ridly said with a grin.

"Should we go get some food?" She said, looking towards him.

"Sound like a plan, those microwave dinners are really starting to get to me." Ridly got his bearings and led the way up the street. She smiled a bit, and walked to the restaurant.

"Please tell me it's not Italian," She said softly, looking up at the only building in town that seemed not to have holes in it.

"Hello and what can I get for you?" said the man behind the counter. Ridly glanced at Rayne, smiled and said:

"Two Brahmin burgers please." Rayne looked towards the man, and smiled genuinely, before turning to Ridly.

"Brahmin burgers?"

"Burgers, good too. Could you make mine with everything on it." She nodded a bit, and then looked towards Ridly.

"I haven't had a burger in forever..." Ridly smiled.

"You've been by yourself for too long, you're lucky I let you come with me." Rayne raised an eyebrow.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be halfway to Marrie's with a pack full of food that was ready to eat you." Ridly laughed out loud and tapped Rayne on the arm. "By now I would have given up and shot myself." She smiled back at him, and nodded.

"If it weren't for you I'd probably still be in town, lonely as all hell." She smiled back, as two burgers were served to them. Her eyes widened. "Wow..." Ridly paid for the food and munched.

"Actually you'd probably be dead, or worse; those raiders can be a mean bunch." She nodded, and looked towards the burger.

"It's huge..." She said softly, picking up the burger, and taking a bite. Her eyes closed. "Damn...it's been a while." Ridly snickered as he took another bite.

"Told you they were good."

"Doesn't hurt that I haven't had a burger in at least 4 years..."

"True enough, hey can we have a couple beers?" The cook nodded and got them two beers, "Thank you señor," Ridly said paying for the drinks. She took another bite, and then looked towards him.

"I have money you know...you don't have to pay for everything..."

"You keep that and _if _I run out we can use your share." Ridly smiled at her from behind the helmet. Rayne only nodded, looking towards her.

"I have about 40,000 stocked away somewhere on that trailer." She said thoughtfully, taking another bite.

"You just have to find it first," Ridly said through a mouthful of burger. She laughed, looking towards him.

"Eat with your mouth closed hon, I like this burger, it doesn't mean I want it over my face." Ridly sprayed some at her for effect,

"Well I never..." She looked towards him, wiping a bit off.

"That's...disgusting." She said, taking the pickle on the side of Ridly's plate, and throwing it at him. Ridly laughed and tossed a tomato at her. Her eyes widened. Ridly could only laugh, he tried to take a bite and began to cough.

"Rids?" She said softly, looking towards him. "Don't tell me you're choking.." Ridly shook his head, and spit some burger on to his plate.

"It's when I'm not coughing that you should worry," he rasped. The beers made their way to the table, and she looked towards him.

"Drink." She said, looking towards him with mild concern on her face. "That's what you get for laughing at me."

"Hey you were the one who threw the pickle," he said after taking a healthy swig of his beer.

"That's because you spit burger chunks at me!"

"Well if you hadn't of made a comment about it I wouldn't have so there." She stuck out her tongue, and then took another bite, making sure to spray him back with it.

"Well if you couldn't take constructive criticism." Ridly laughed and wiped off the some of the spray that landed on him. Rayne smirked, finishing off her burger, and looking at him.

"No wonder you had the balls to show up back here...I'd come back too."

"Yeah well, I do sort of like this place," Ridly said.

"Hey Ridly I want to talk to you!" shouted a familiar voice from outside. Rayne looked towards the man, and smiled.

"Looks like you've got some more old friends who want you..." She said softly, finishing off her beer.

"Nah that's Oliver, probably afraid to come near you!" Ridly grinned as he stood up and walked out.

"I didn't hit him that hard!" She said, pouting a bit, before walking outside with him, leaving a tip.

"Yeah Oliver, what is it you want to talk to me about?" Ridly asked scanning the group of five, they were all pretty well armed.

"I have orders to bring you to the boss...unharmed." Rayne walked out, her eyes widened.

"Oliver...you bloody moron..." She whispered, looking towards them. "Then what are all the guns for?"

"We're here to take you in, to see the boss." Oliver repeated firmly.

"Might I ask who this 'boss' is?"

"Vinchenso."

"That wouldn't haven to be Marty Vinchenso, son of Matthew?"

"The same."

"We'll crap."

"What'd you do." Rayne said, walking next to him. "Was Matthew one of the bosses you killed?"

"Yep, well I guess we'd better go see what old' Martin has to say." Ridly shrugged.

"I'm going with you...and don't think anything you say will persuade me into not doing so." She said, looking towards him.

"I hadn't planned on it, I may need the extra gun getting out," Ridly whispered. "All right Oliver, you snake; take me to your boss." She nodded, and looked towards Oliver, her eyes glittering with hate.

"When we get out I want him." She said, looking towards Oliver.

"You wish, sweet thing," Oliver said with a sneer, "This way Ridly." Oliver's crew surrounded them as he led them to another big casino, past the guards and up to the top floor.

Her eyes blazed as she walked next to Ridly, her eyes locked on Oliver the whole time. He was so dead when they got out of here. "How badly will this guy be pissed off at you?"

"Honestly, I'm still wondering why I'm sucking air. If he wanted me dead Oliver could have shot me at any time, no this is something bigger than revenge."

"Hn..." Rayne said softly, looking towards the door Oliver was leading them to. "I don't like the way this feels Rids." Her eyes wandered over the men, before looking back to him.

"Neither do I," Ridly said as they were led into Vinchenso's office.

"Since I don't care how you've been and I'm sure you really don't want to be here, I'll get to the point. What the hell is this?" Vinchenso slid a metal box across the desk to Ridly, it had some kind of electrical port on one end.

"I honestly have no idea."

"Try again, smart ass." Rayne picked it up, playing with the electrical port a bit, before smirking.

"Gimme your letter thingy and I could figure it out in ten."

"Look Vinchenso, what the hell does this have to do with me?" Ridly asked.

"It's got your name on it, take a look," Vinchenso tossed a small, book sized object at Ridly. Ridly opened the cover, on the inside in the top left corner the words PIPBOY 2000 words were stenciled, Ridly turned it over, on the back his name was carved into the casing.

"What the hell?" Rayne shifted a bit...she really wanted to see what was inside it, and no one was listening to her...usually a bad combination, she looked down, and tried unscrewing the lid with her fingers.

"Here, Rayne, let me plug it into the slot on this thingy," Ridly held up the PIPBOY and pointed to the matching opposite port. She only muttered, sitting down in a chair.

"Fine..." She said, looking towards it. "I'd rather take it apart to see what it does..." She said, waiting for something to happen as he plugged it in. Ridly plugged the PIPBOY into the box and found the on button, on the screen were two options, one said play and the other said erase. Ridly hit the button that corresponded to the play option, the screen went blank before the face of a man in his late 50s appeared on screen. Rayne looked towards it.

"Fun...holographic and everything." She said softly, looking towards it. "Something tells me he's got a message for ya." On the screen the old man cleared his throat.

"This is my account of the incident involving a group calling themselves the Enclave. My name is Ridly, my account begins in a small tribal village called Arroyrro..." The tape went on at some length about Ridly's search for a "Garden of Eden Creation Kit" the subsequent destruction of Arroyrro and the encounters with the Enclave. At the end of the tape a messaged appeared "Recorded in Vault City vault, main computer."

"Now that you know what I'm talking about would care to explain who the old geezer is?" Rayne raised an eyebrow at the holotape, and then back to Ridly, and then to the boss looking a bit anxious sitting in his seat. She took the holotape off the desk, and started opening it up. Vinchenso's men drew their weapons.

"Oh no you don't missy, that's a very important piece of technology and it might be worth something to somebody."

"Rayne, Vinnie has a point; that could be important." Ridly said. "Where did you get that tape?"

"Like I'm going to hurt something this beautiful." She said, looking inside. "I'm just trying to find a serial number, so I can figure out how old the bloody thing is." Inside were a large amount of wires and panels, but no serial number. Vinchenso looked worried.

"Could please tell your lady friend to put it back together, I don't want it damaged. If you must know I got it off a caravan from Vault City. And you didn't answer my question."

"No; as a matter of fact I've never seen either of these things before." She sighed a bit, closing it and sealing it back up, before easily sliding it back on to Vinchenso's desk.

"There ya go slick." She said, muttering before standing up.

"Well, now that we've cleared things up, boys take them out of my office...in body bags." Vinchenso's men opened fire on Rayne and Ridly. Ridly took two rounds in the chest, (thank God for the combat armor) he grabbed the PIPBOY and the holotape off the desk, picked Rayne up by the waist and hauled ass out the door.

"Daahhhh." She said softly, taking a gun out of her bag, and shooting backwards into the room, dropping at least four guys before the door closed shut. "You can put me down now!"

"Right." Ridly dropped her, rather roughly, and drew is shotgun, "I think it's time we said goodbye to Reno."

"Agreed." She said, easily getting her bearings, as she tore down the stairs, hearing the door open again and shots ring out. She slid into the hallway, and saw Oliver standing at the door. "Hello ass." She said, taking a gun to his head, and pulling the trigger, smiling as she heard the squeak before his brain shot out the other side, and kept running. Ridly followed her at a slightly slower rate, making sure to spray each room with shells, when he came upon Oliver's corpse he emptied the shotgun for effect and broke into a full run. She finally made it outside and to a safe place to hide until Ridly caught up, brushing a couple bullets out of her armor.

"Thank your ugly looking armor." She smiled a bit, and then started running again when she saw Ridly.

As they reached the exit Ridly felt that something was very wrong, as he looked about he realized that everyone on the street was carrying a gun and looking very unhappy to see him still breathing. Suddenly he heard breaking glass and looked up at the building across the street, the residents were making room for their weapons, and just before he took another step, the whole city began shooting at them!

"Ridly...I swear to god...I'm going to kill you." She said, and took out two guns, having another one close. "Hate to hurt people...like living more." She said softly, and tore down the street shooting, taking out people as she saw them. Ridly ran for his damn life, bullets ripped up pavement and the people on the street, who were also shooting at him.

"Make for the trailer and start 'er up I'm going for the new toy!" Ridly yelled and punctuated his remark by emptying his shotgun at no one in particular.

"I'll pick you up once ya get there!" She said, continuing to make her way through the city, throwing the guns into another pocket of her pack as she emptied the clips, pulling out another set, and going through them as well to make it to her trailer. She opened the door, and slammed it shut, breathing hard as she ran to the back, started the computers at 90, and straight for the guns shop. Anyone in her way was very, _very_ stupid.

Ridly made for the gun shop, he hit the front door very very hard and it became a surfboard for ten feet, Ridly's body reminded him very angrily of his chest wound. Ridly rubbed his shoulder as he picked himself up, he made for the supply table. He found the bazooka, loaded it, attached it to his pack and stuffed the other rocket in. Then Ridly's eyes found the mini-gun and he couldn't help but stare as bullets ripped through the shop. He made a split second decision, attached the mini-gun to his pack, loaded up with as much ammo as he could carry at full run and sprinted out the door. A hail of bullets greeted him as ran of the trailer. Rayne opened the door, seeing Ridly get nearer to the trailer.

"IN NOW!" She shouted, the trailer coasting by him as she slowed it down. Ridly grabbed for the door, hoped to god it wouldn't snap off and swung himself into the trailer, depositing his armful of ammo all over the floor.

"GUN IT!" She nodded, as the thing sped back up, and went up to 100, seeing a decreased group of people standing at the city limits, still shooting.

"What in HELL is wrong with that town?" Ridly was too out of breath to answer as he lay panting among his pile of ammo. Rayne sighed, dropping down to a chair, and rolling Ridly a can of beer, putting her head down and sighing. "Ugh...running..."

"Well…at least…we're alive!" He said between breaths.

"BARELY!"

"I'm sorry I didn't realize…that the entire town wanted to kill me…" Ridly was starting to get his breath back.

"You killed off half the town and initiated a drug war the LAST time you were there...wouldn't you want to kill someone who'd done that to your town?" She said, draining the beer. Ridly opened his beer and took a small swig before going back to breathing. She pulled herself back up, and nudged the uninjured shoulder of Ridly.

"Gimme the holo thingy..."

"You're not going to take it apart are you?" He said, raising an eyebrow questioningly at her.

"No, at least not until I know I can put it back together." Ridly fished the holotape out of his combat armor and slid it across the floor to Rayne. She nodded to him, and put it on the table, but stood up, and slowed the trailer down, before sitting back down. Ridly sat up and sucked on his beer.

"What are you going to do?"

"Figure out where the hell that message came from..."

"Didn't it say it came from Vault City, I think that's the place a ways northeast of here."

"I know it came from Vault City. But I stayed there a while. They aren't anywhere near advanced enough to think this up."

"Well they have laser turrets and a bloody Vault! I think they can handle a simple recording."

"Not on holo." She said, and then looked towards there. "We're going there next, I've set a course already." She said, looking towards him. Ridly gave up and lay back down on the ammo.

"Go on to bed, I'll clean up the ammo and put it in a bag for you later alright?" She said, looking towards him once more, before starting to work on the holotape. Ridly stood and dropped his pack on the floor and topped it with his helmet. Then he headed back for some well earned sleep.

After two hours and still no way to determine ANYTHING she growled, pushing it onto the floor.

"Stupid thing..." Ridly looked at her in amusement.

"No luck huh?" She growled, looking at the still perfect holotape, and growled.

"It's mocking me."

"When we get to Vault City we can ask around, maybe they know the guy who made it."

"I'm going to stay in that city 'til I know everything."

"I doubt they'll tell you anything...'less your a citizen." Ridly was now in deep thought.

"ID's can be forged." She shrugged, looking towards the bazooka. "You got ma baby!"

"Yeah I got your baby, I did say I'd run through a hail of bullets for you." Ridly's eyes weren't on the bazooka but on the mini-gun.

"What are you going to do with that thing." She said, looking towards the mini-gun, sitting next to the bazooka. Ridly shrugged and wandered over to the gun, he unclipped it from his pack and hefted it.

"This baby's solid." Ridly was grinning from ear to ear. She only nodded, looking towards him.

"Well...I've given up trying to figure it out, let's do something."

"I can't wait to test this thing out...uh what do you want to do?" Ridly put the mini-gun down and looked at Rayne. She shrugged, and looked towards him, slipping out of her combat armor, and putting it in the bedroom.

"Something that doesn't involve thought."

"Uh...I don't have any ideas sorry." She sighed, and looked towards him, and then towards the bed.

"Lord." Ridly raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She looked towards him, and then ups to the roof.

"I can't believe I'm going to do something this stupid. Again."

"Huh?"

"Roof."

"What about the roof, you want to go up on the roof?" Ridly was totally confused.

"Roof." She said softly, climbing onto the counter, than up to the roof, looking towards him. "Up hon." Ridly followed her up on the counter and stuck his head out.

"What are we gonna do on the roof?"

"We are going across the desert at 70-ish...right?" She said, sliding an extra piece of metal or two out from under their bindings.

"Yeah so?" Ridly's eyes began to water from the wind against his face. She looked down to the ground, and then towards a couple bungee cords she had on the roof, that were connected to the board, and to the ladder on the roof. Rayne looked towards him.

"One time...I got really really bored."

"You're _not_ serious?" Ridly's eyes widened in a mix of fascination and terror.

"So very serious."

"Ok, I'm here how does it work?"

"Slide off the trailer and try not to let go of the board." She said, looking towards him.

"You go first," Ridly insisted, "I'm not _that_ crazy." She smirked a bit, and kicked herself off the trailer, landing on the sand and leaving a trail behind her as she was carted along by the trailer, smirking a bit, and looking up at Ridly. Ridly shrugged and sat to watch. She looked at him, standing up a bit once getting her balance.

"Come on Rids!" Ridly smiled and mimicked what Rayne had done.

"Hey this is cool." He coughed slightly. "I just wish there wasn't so much dust." She nodded, looking out towards the horizon.

"Turn sideways." She said, before looking towards him. "Works a bit." Ridly did so.

"Hey you're right." She smiled a bit, and looked towards him, sitting down on the board, before looking out to the sunset.

"It's actually perfectly safe, it just looks dangerous." She shrugged, before closing her eyes. "Sometimes I get bored of doing things ordinary."

"I can tell." Ridly sat down beside her and admired the desert flying past.

"Do you like this life?" She asked softly, looking towards the sand flying below her.

"What do you mean?" Ridly asked looking at her.

"Doing what you do? Living this way? You know, back when...it was normal...at least...I...I have dreams." She said softly. "Do you like how things are now...and I'm not talking about the fallout or stuff like that...I mean...do you like how free it is..."

"Well I like being able to do what I want but, yeah. Sometimes I wish I could settle down. I vaguely recall life before the bombs, but nothing specific." Rayne only sighed, looking back towards Ridly, before closing her eyes.

"I think I like it better this way..."

"Well it's better than some, at least we're not mutants living in hiding from others."

"I couldn't do that." She said softly, looking towards him. "I'd shoot myself."

"No kidding…but some people seek out an existence, I just chose to do it wandering from town to town doing whatever needs to be done."

"Including killing."

"Well, I'll defend myself when I have to, and then there are those people who deserve to die..."

"I know I know, I wasn't accusing you of anything, I've killed people too...every once in a while I've enjoyed it...I'm just saying...nowadays...anything is possible...literally ANYTHING..."

"It's funny; with the NCR expanding things should be getting safer but instead more and more dangers are popping up." Ridly again let his gaze drift to the desert.

"No one wants to be tied down anymore...the whole world's gone anarchist...they don't WANT limits..." She said, smiling a little before closing her eyes.

"Not only are the raiders becoming more powerful but there have been reports of strange animals, even stranger than the two headed, six legged monstrosities that already plague the wastes." She looked towards him, and nodded, letting her fingers trace trails behind them in the sand.

"Well...mutant genes breeding with mutant genes...it IS possible." She said softly, and then a faint smile crossed her face. "Who knows, maybe we'll be offered a job as part or a crack team or raider extinguishers..."

"Heh, I could get into that, if we live long enough..."

"Well...as long as we don't piss anyone ELSE off...and stay away from the people that we have, we should be fine, you know...minus the random raider encounters..."

"Random...right. Say, why did you come with me, the adventure, the fame...?"

"The utter boredom?" She smiled, looking at him. "I think going with you would be a new thing for me, ya know? Besides that one raider attack I told you about, my life after the shelter had been pretty uneventful...when I saw you again, I said, well...at least I won't be as bored anymore..."

"Ain't that the truth, though sometimes I feel like I'm putting you in more danger than I should, maybe I should find a nice place..."

"I'm FINE Rids." She smiled looking towards him. "You baby me too much you know that? Just because you're a couple months older than me doesn't mean I don't know how to protect myself."

"I know you know how to protect yourself. It's just that...I've lost a lot of good friends...to...to the wastes...and I..." His eyes closed as he looked down. "I don't want to lose you..."

"You won't." She smiled looking towards him. "I promise you...I'm a tough cookie, and I'll be fine...I've lasted this long haven't I?"

"Well yeah but...I seem to attract a lot of bad people..." She shrugged a bit, looking towards him.

"We'll meet my enemies eventually...lord knows I have them..." She said, looking towards him. "I worked as a thief for awhile in a Mafia town closer to the border."

"Oh…so you've had a problem too?" Ridly smiled. She smiled a bit.

"We both have an undying attraction towards trouble."

"Amen to that. I really only have one question." She looked towards him, and smiled.

"Shoot."

"How do we get off this thing?" She laughed a bit, looking up at the ropes attached to the ladder which was hanging over Rayne's head.

"Climb up the rope." She said, looking towards the bungee cords, and climbing up. Once she got to the top, she pulled her board up with her. Ridly followed and did the same.

"You're right, that was relaxing, but I would like to take a rest; let's go inside shall we?" She looked towards him.

"I'm going to stay out here for a little while longer." She said softly, looking towards him. "Go ahead and get some rest." Ridly nodded and climbed back down into the trailer and headed back to the bedroom.

Rayne looked out to the sky, lying down against the roof of the trailer, before smiling, looking out to the stars, her eyes closing as she felt herself drift away.


	11. Chapter 11

Ridly awoke when the trailer came to a halt. He stood up to see the wire fences and laser turrets of Vault City.

"Home sweet home." Rayne walked out of the computer room, and towards Ridly, smiling a bit "Morning sunshine." She said easily, and looked out through the window. "We're here then eh?"

"Yep. This place hasn't changed much has it?" Ridly donned his armor and took what he thought he'd need in his pack.

"Does any place ever change?" She said, slinging her pack back on after refilling all the empty guns. "Umm...do you really think I'll need that?" She said, pointing to her armor.

"It's better than nothing, and considering the way our luck is going I wouldn't go anywhere without it." She looked towards the thing warily, and slid into it, slinging the helmet into her pack, before looking at him, and slinging her pack back on. "So we find this other Ridly dude?"

"I think we should try, I'm not sure if he's still alive but someone must have seen him." Ridly opened the door and stepped out. She nodded, slipping out of the trailer as well, before locking and setting the alarm on her trailer.

"Alrighty." She said, turning towards him, grinning a bit. "Let's go get in more trouble." Ridly walked past the guards at the front gate, who only glanced at them and proceeded up to the main gate where to heavy armed guards glared at him.

"You can't go in unless you're a citizen, if you want a day pass talk to customs." One of the guards pointed to a relatively new building next to the gate.

"Sheesh, talk about your heavy security." She said, smiling easily at the guards. "Good that you're doing your job." She finished, before turning towards the building and looking towards Ridly. "Was all this up when you were here?" She said, opening the door.

"Yeah it's been here for quite some time, I've only been here once though, guarding a caravan." Ridly led the way into the customs office. "Hi, we're here about the day passes." The man looked up to him, his eyes only narrowing on the rather bulging pack that both of them were wearing before, starting to get out a few forms of paperwork.

"You're going to have to leave any weapons you have with you in the office, you can get them back upon leaving the city." Ridly nodded and placed the mini-gun on his desk along with the CAWS and the 14mm pistol.

"What's with the no gun rule all of a sudden? Expecting trouble?"

"Not expecting; with the new government, they passed a rule that only law enforcement can have guns. That includes visitors. The last visitors to come into this city killed a few people on their exit. We want to prevent that from happening again." He looked towards Ridly. "You've been here before." Rayne sighed, taking the guns and ammo out of her bag, before slinging it back over her shoulder.

"Not recently, just looking around is all." Ridly was filling out the forms as he talked. Rayne took a form as well, started filling in what she could, as she looked towards the customs officer. She handed him the forms when she finished, and sat back in her chair, fidgeting a bit with her pack. She hadn't been here yet. Ridly handed the papers back and waited after awhile Ridly said.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to get our day passes?" He walked back towards the two, and motioned out by a small white booth near the city gates.

"Your information's being processed and it'll come over there. We have to see if you're qualified. You can go." Ridly nodded and walked in the direction the customs officer had pointed. When they were out of earshot he whispered:

"Wow, these guys are even more uptight than when I was here last." Rayne looked towards him, and nodded.

"I suppose there are reasons...they probably want to keep the technology they've developed post-bombing a secret...and the NCR probably wants it...they might think of us as spies." She shrugged, looking towards him.

"Ha; these guys are becoming more and more like the NCR everyday, 'no weapons'; gag." Ridly approached the other building and tapped on the door. Another man looked towards them, and nodded, looking towards the forms that had been laid out over his desk, before handing the both of them what looked like ID necklaces from those old Army movies, with their information on it.

"At least the day passes have gotten better, " Ridly slipped the chain over his neck. The man at the desk started to say something but Ridly stopped him, "I know, 'No visitors inside the city after dark. All trespassers will be shot.' Yeah, yeah." Rayne grabbed hers, and slid it over her neck, looking towards Ridly, before looking out to the town gates, and towards a door which had just been buzzed open. Ridly entered and was confronted by a female guard,

"Please present all items for search." Ridly hated this part but handed her his pack and helmet. She looked towards the woman, and raised an eyebrow, dropping the pack which had the helmet attached, as she looked towards Ridly.

"Just a routine search every time we go into the city." Ridly nodded towards Rayne. The guard handed him his pack and waved him to the opposite gate. She finished with Rayne's pack, and motioned for him to join Ridly.

"Talk about heavy security...what the hell is UP with this place?"

"I don't know, but it's standard procedure for every visitor." The guard walked next to the door and tapped out a sequence on the keypad, as the door opened Vault City spread out before them. Ridly looked at Rayne. "Well here we are." Rayne smiled a bit, walking towards the city, large buildings that reminded her of the pictures of skyscrapers she'd once seen; they loomed over them.

"Ooh, ominous." She chuckled, before looking towards him. "So...where to?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd stop by the tavern here then go visit maintenance." Ridly smiled as he walked down the streets, looking up at the buildings. Rayne laughed a bit, and nodded.

"Always to a bar for you, eh Rids?" She said, looking towards him. "You know...for all the alcohol you drink, I've never seen you drunk." She said, walking next to him.

"Well, I'm just a good drunk is all," Ridly smiled. "Actually I know some people who regularly hang out at the bar, If you buy them enough drinks they give up information."

"Right." She said, looking towards him. "Well...you're definitely buying me one... the beers on the trailer are weak." She smiled, looking around for a bar. Ridly chuckled and kept walking, weaving through the streets, which, when thought about it were surprisingly empty.

"That's strange..."

"What's strange?" She said softly, looking around. "The fact that there's seemingly no people or the fact that there's no noise."

"Bingo, normally this is the time of day with the highest citizen traffic but there's virtually nobody outdoors. We'd better get to the bar." Ridly quickened his pace.

"Maybe the bar isn't the safest place..." She said worriedly, looking towards him, speeding a bit to keep up with him.

"I've got questions, my friends at the bar can answer them, it's the best lead we have."

"How can you be sure people will actually BE at the bar?"

"I have a feeling something is going on that we should know about, something outside the city."

"Something like what?" Rayne said, spotting the bar, and starting to walk towards it. "There it is Rids."

"We'll find out." Ridly opened the door and walked inside. It was as if nothing was the matter, although there seemed to be quite a few people inside. Ridly looked around and spotted a man in the corner table working on his second drink. He headed in that direction. Rayne looked towards him, and walked that way, before someone pulled her into a seat. She looked to see a rather drunk, yet handsome man sitting across from her. She sighed. It was one of those days.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He smiled, looking at her.

Ridly slid into a seat across from the man, "Long time no see eh Roc?"

"Ridly! What have you been up to all these years?"

"Nothing much, killing raiders, pissing off a city, the usual. I see you've only started your second drink, am I early?" Roc waved for two more drinks from the bar.

"No you're just in time; we have a problem."

"Make it three, Roc meet...where is she?" Ridly turned looking for Rayne.

Rayne had already been bought a drink by the man, who was now happily spilling a drink onto the table, trying to say something. Fortunately, Rayne was good in translating incoherent babble to information.

"Something's had its stick up enforcement's ass ever since that old guy started showing around stuff." He said, taking another gulp of his drink, before looking towards her. "Yea, I've seen it...it ain't that special...you see...you see all kinds of shiny stuff 'round here." He laughed, before looking at her. "You know...you're the prettiest thing I've seen all day." She smiled sweetly, before looking towards her own drink.

"Oh do go on..."

Ridly had spotted Rayne and her companion, chuckled and turned back to Roc.

"Normally I have to get you drunk before you start talking, what's the problem?"

"There have been...reports that...something...large and dangerous is heading our way...like...an...an army."

"What kind of army?"

"That's the thing, we don't know, some say it's the muties, some say it's some robots, others claim to have seen 'monsters'. Nobody's giving Intel a straight story."

"That's why the bar is full of mercs."

"Exactly."

He looked towards her.

"Yeah, it all started when we first got news of this whole...'vasion thing. I think it's a bunch o' bull...but relations between Vault city and the NCR have been strained...lately." Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit.

"What invasion?"

"So you've got an attacking army on your hands and nobody knows who or what they are."

"Yeah, so the council decided to call up all the mercenaries in the area and create an army." Roc looked at Ridly for a bit. "Say you're good with a gun...want to join up? We can use all the help we can get." Ridly considered for a moment.

"I better take this up with my other half. Excuse me." Ridly stood and walked over to Rayne's table. "Can I talk to you for a bit before he dribbles beer on those nice pants?" She nodded, sliding out of the bar, and looking towards him.

"Another drink on me hon." He said gulping down another drink, before she chuckled, and looked towards Ridly.

"Yeah sure."

"I suppose you heard that there is trouble coming this way fast, Roc wants me to stick around and help out, what do you think?" Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit.

"Oh...well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt having a bit more fun...do we get paid?"

"Probably standard merc fee, but that's not bad, and we really don't need it." Ridly led her over to where Roc sat. "Ok you got a deal, now…what do we do?" Roc looked at Rayne then nodded.

"Well the council wants to hold the city, but I haven't heard much." Roc handed them a small card with crossed swords. " Slip that over your day passes, lets the guards know you're mercs, you can stay at the tavern in town. I'll see what I can find out about defense of the city, just sit tight." Roc finished his beer and walked out of the bar. Ridly looked at Rayne. Rayne took one of the cards, and slid it into the small grooves in the day pass, and looked towards Ridly.

"Cute." Ridly did the same.

"Quite. So what did you learn from your drinking buddy?"

"Basically the same...he said something about an old guy showing off shiny things though..." She said, looking towards Ridly, and taking the drink on the table. "Also...something about an invasion...got the enforcement all uptight..."

"Sounds like we've got ourselves a handful, let's concentrate on defending the city first, the tavern sounds like a place to start, we'll go talk to the mercs there." Ridly got up and headed for the door.

"Shouldn't we tell the guards first?" She asked, fiddling with the day pass.

"Why, I'm sure they know all about it, it's the everyday citizens that are kept out of the loop." She chuckled a bit, draining the last of the drink, before nodding.

"Alright..." She said softly, looking towards him. "Let's go." Ridly exited the bar and walked down the street looking in various windows as he passed. Rayne's eyes closed, looking back towards the gates.

"But-" She whimpered "...My trailer..."

"Don't worry we can move it later," Ridly spotted the building he was looking for, a large sign hung over the door and noise drifted from it. She pouted a bit, and looked towards the building.

"But I miss my trailer." She said softly, and looked towards the building and smirked. "What are we looking for here?"

"The tavern, is right up ahead, I want to know what some of the mercs have heard." Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit.

"Ah...okay...you want me to stay with you, or collect info by myself?" She said softly, starting to walk in. Her eyes looked over it. It was just like every other tavern she'd been in. As they walked in a man behind the desk looked up and studied them for a moment before looking back down at the paperwork in front of him; the lobby was full of men in armor lounging and talking. Ridly approached the desk.

"We're here about a room." Rayne waited patiently for Ridly to finish, her eyes scanning over the people in the lobby, before her eyes locked on one, and then widened. He sensed someone watching him, looked back, and snarled, motioning to get up. "Not good..."

"Thanks," Ridly nodded to the man and turned back, he saw Rayne's expression and followed her gaze to the man at the table. "Oh..."

"Um..." She said softly, looking towards Ridly. "Room, now, good." She said softly, as the man looked towards the two he was laughing with and stood up, starting to growl a bit.

"We can go...now." Ridly led the way down the hall and opened the door to their room, it wasn't a palace but it was nice, it was roomier than the trailer. Rayne plopped onto the bed, and closed her eyes.

"Before you say it...don't ask?" She said, looking up to him and smiling a bit. Ridly's mouth was already open but snapped shut at her sentence, he almost bit his tongue in the process. He moved to one of the chairs in the room and sat, looking about. Rayne looked towards him, and then towards the window.

"I stole two guns, three sets of armor from him...unfortunately before I shot him he saw my face."

"Oh so I guess you shouldn't leave the room until he departs then?" Ridly was amused. "So why, pray tell, didn't you shoot him after he saw that lovely face of yours?"

"I did...I was on a strict no killing rule however...so...I shot his balls off." She said, smiling a bit at him. "I thought the pain would have blinded my face out of his head...but I guess it stuck." Ridly grimaced and tried not to think about it.

"And here we are without guns..." He reached into his bag and popped some more of Anna's magic pills.

"We could have gotten them if we went to the gate...I'm pretty sure we have a good reason for having guns, now that we're kind of fighting for their...you're not taking those...are you?" She said, looking towards him.

"True we probably could have. Oh these, I'll need them you ought to try some, they're good for you." Ridly offered Rayne the bottle.

"They're not good for you...first you're drunk, and then you're getting headaches so bad you can't see straight...there is NO way in hell you're getting me to take those."

"Suit yourself, I wonder if your 'friend' is armed?" Ridly's sense of irony played out as three shots ripped through the door and into the carpet.

"That answers your question." She said, looking towards him, and sliding a gun out of the pack, and grinning at Rids, tossing it to him. "Yay for fake bottoms." You might want this." Ridly caught the gun in one smooth motion, stood, and dived over the bed, firing two rounds into the door as he did so. He heard a grunt but not the sound of someone collapsing as he had hoped, he looked at the gun.

"What are these, 9 mils?"

"Basically...only thing small enough to slide in there." She said, as the door was kicked open, and the castrated one walked in glaring at Rayne.

"Hi Bitch."

"Hello Eunuch."

"Eunuch," Ridly raised an eyebrow along with the pistol. He growled and rushed her. She sighed a bit, stepping out of the way and kicking him solidly in the back before a gunshot rang over her head as his friend stepped in for the fun.

Ridly caught Eunuch in the face with his palm, breaking the nose and sending the man sprawling on the bed.

"You take care of nutless here, I'll finish Bozo." Ridly then began firing at the other man. Rayne laughed a bit as he got back up, lashing out at Rayne. She chuckled, shooting him once in the chest, before quickly getting to the ground, and sweeping her leg under his, sending him back to the floor with a heavy thud, before kicking him hard in the ribs, and once in the head. Ridly was out of ammo, but that didn't bother. The other man wouldn't be shooting anytime soon as Ridly had broken every bone in his gun hand in one deft move before sending the man to floor and probably breaking some ribs in the process, "I'm done over here darling, how about you?"

"Is it bad if he's wheezing blood?"

"Nah, that just means his sinuses are clearing up," Ridly chuckled as he stepped on his opponent and picked up his pack. "I'm going to complain to the front desk, this room is full of pests." Rayne looked towards him, and sighed.

"That sounds disgusting...sounds like he snorting and gargling at the same time...you think if I re-break his nose it'll stop that?" Rayne looked up to him, and nodded. "Oh, and go get the rest of our guns please!"

"You get to come with me, I am not carrying all that by myself, leave it alone I don't know how badly I broke it, if you touch it, he may die...on second thought go ahead."

"Nah...he's working for the same people we are...they might not be too happy if he died." She said, sitting on the couch, and sitting on top of him. "But I have to make sure he doesn't wake up and...wait. Nevermind. I'm coming." She smiled at Ridly, and then hopped up, walking over some other guy, before heading towards the door. Ridly walked out, he made a short stop at the desk before heading out the door.

"We have to pay for the damaged door but they'll give us another room, this way." Rayne only nodded, and walked after him, her eyes looking around as she started walking backwards.

"Sorry about that." She said softly, looking back at the hotel room from the ground. Ridly led the way back to the customs office, it was getting late and the guards gripped their weapons a little tighter.

"Easy we're just here for our toys," Ridly said as he opened the door. "Hiya, we've come to collect our hardware."

"I need to see the mercenary ID on your pass before you can get your weaponry." Ridly handed the customs officer his day pass. The officer nodded, and looked towards Rayne's, who already had hers off. He nodded a bit, before walking away, and coming back with all the guns and ammo inside a rather large plastic bin. Ridly hefted the mini-gun, it felt good to have the gun again, he attached it to his pack and holstered the 14mm and retrieved his CAWS.

"Thanks." Rayne looked towards the guns in the pack, getting her guns, and the four daggers she had in there, and smiled a bit. "Thank you much!"

"Ok, let's head over to the maintenance shed before we head back to the tavern for the night." Ridly talked as strolled back through the gates to the city. Rayne only nodded, keeping silent as she carefully placed each of the guns in their place in her bag. She slid the four daggers in various slots, before looking towards Ridly.

"Maintenance?"

"I have a friend there who might give us some stuff." Ridly kept walking.

"Do we have room for more stuff?"

"I think we can cram some little stuff into our packs," Ridly said with a smile.

"All for the little stuff then." She said looking towards him, smirking a bit. "Wait...you have a friend there? You have a friend everywhere...and about 10 more enemies for every friend you have in a town."

"True, but then again I do travel a lot, and when you do what I do, you accumulate enemies, pretty fast."

"Better your enemies than mine, mine usually have a bit of a temper problem.." She said, smiling innocently.

"I don't doubt it." Ridly stopped before a rectangular building that was longer than it was wide. "Ah this is the place." Ridly opened the door and looked in. "Beth! You here?" Rayne walked into the store and her eyes widened as a smile grew on her face.

"Look at all the stuff..." She said, in awe as she quickly started running around.

"Please don't touch those young lady," said a grandmotherly voice from the back room, a woman in her sixties came out with a radio in hand, "I see you've brought along a companion this time." Ridly nodded.

"She's handy in a pinch," and gave the woman a hug. "How are you Beth?"

"Can't complain, just gotta keep working. Who's the girl?"

"Beth that's Rayne. She likes to play with broken stuff too." She turned towards the woman, and smiled a bit.

"Please Beth...it's so pretty!" She said, looking towards it. "If I can fix it before we leave, can I keep it?"

"Well...Oh I suppose. But only if you fix some other things first." Beth motioned for them to follow as she led the way to the back room. Inside, was a prototype car engine.

"WOW!" Ridly was excited as he ran over to get a closer look. "It's so pretty, and it's got a hemi!"

"Now Ridly don't touch anything that looks fragile, it took me a long time to get this thing in partial working order again." Rayne looked towards the thing, a gleam in her eyes as she circled it.

"It's...it's just missing a couple things and it'll be perfect."

"Well if you can fix it, I'll let you take anything you can fix." Beth smiled as she looked at Rayne. Ridly started to drool before he realized it wasn't his.

"Who's it for Beth?"

"An old friend of mine, he worked with my father... What was his name? Oh now I know why you remind me of him, his name is Ridly too." Rayne looked once at Ridly, mouthing out. "Interrogation," before starting to work on the engine. She took a few wrenches and tubing off the bench, and suddenly disappeared under the engine. Ridly straightened up immediately.

"You know this guy?"

"Yes of course; why do you ask?"

"We're looking for him, he uh... well we want to ask him some questions really, do you know where he is?" Beth pondered the question for a moment before answering.

"He lives up to the north west along the cost, a relatively prosperous town called Arroyrro."

"The northwest you said? Ok good. Thanks very much, I really want to talk with him." She grabbed a piece of metal off the table and a blow torch, and about five minutes later, a purr was heard out of the engine. Rayne smiled, a long streak of oil down her face as she stood back up.

"It's pretty down there."

"It works? Great. Like I promised you can have whatever you can fix," Beth said smiling as she looked over the engine.

"Yup!" She smiled cheerfully, flipping a switch as the engine came to life. It started up, and was purring like a kitten. "Anything!" She smiled a bit, and sped into the front, squeals of happiness coming from her.

"I would cut her off at about 50, other wise she'll clean you out and we won't be able to carry all of that junk," Ridly smiled at Beth.

"Don't worry dear there's not much to fix but she can have some of that armor if you can patch it."

"ARMOR WHERE?" Ridly spun like a bloodhound and raced off after Rayne. Beth only chuckled.

"We have enough armor!" She shouted, looking towards him. "I'm not fixing any!"

"But, but it's advanced combat armor..." Ridly whined.

"Ridly."

"I want! I want! I want!" She growled at him.

"No! No more armor for you!" She said, looking towards him. "We have enough!"

"Well then I'll fix it myself! Beth give me a hand here!"

"Nope!" She said, taking the armor away from Ridly. "No more armor! I'll fix a few guns for you if you want."

"Look Rayne, that armor is better than the stuff we're wearing, even as beat up as it is. Besides we only have these two sets of armor so I don't know what the fuss is all about."

Rayne sighed, handing it to him. "Fine...take it..." She said, looking towards it one more time, before throwing it at him. "I'll go find something else to fix." Ridly grabbed a tool kit and went to work. Rayne's eyes wandered over the store, seeing an Old Russian gun...what was it again...A...A...THAT was It...AK-47...she walked closer towards it, and started to work, finding a screwdriver on the floor. Ridly fiddled away with the armor, grabbing a hammer and some metal plates and beginning to pound.

"If I could just close this bloody hole..."

"There's a blow torch in the back with some sheet metal!" She said, un-jamming the barrel and continuing to work her way through, a shot scaring the hell out of her at one point.

"Thanks," Ridly scurried over to and retrieved the blowtorch before heading back to his work. "Almost almost." Rayne smirked a bit, looking towards the thing, and clicking it easily back into place. She smiled, standing up and putting the gun over her shoulder.

"How goes the mending?"

"Pretty well considering I don't do this for a living." Ridly said as he moved into a corner. Rayne smirked a bit, and looked towards him.

"I think you need a woman's touch honeybunches." She chuckled, sitting down in front of him.

"Actually I think I can get this done by myself...no offense." Ridly sat cross-legged, pouring himself into his work. Rayne nodded a bit, playing with her new toy as she watched him. "Missed a hole near the leg." She said cheerfully, before getting up to find ammo. Ridly grunted a little and continued to mend the breastplate. Rayne smiled, looking into a case.

"Beth! How long have you been working here...some of this stuff...couldn't have made it through the war..."

"I don't know what half of this stuff is, I haven't been working that long," Beth called from the back room. Rayne's eyes only narrowed in confusion as she looked towards the case, easily scooping out ammo, and looking through the case.

"It's bloody beautiful in here." She whispered softly, looking around. Maybe she'd take the place off Beth's hands...Rayne looked down towards Ridly, and sighed a bit. Ridly was ignoring everything else in the room, he worked with precision and care, it would be perfect, it would have to be. Rayne sat on top of the case, and looked towards the ceiling, seeing the various machinery cluttering the actual ceiling, and smiled a bit. "Maybe after everything is over..." She said easily, looking towards Ridly. "Rids...Riiiidly...you almost done hon?" Ridly jumped to his feet and slid the armor under a table.

"It's late…we'd better head over to the tavern before the guards get trigger happy."

"What about the other Ridly!" She said, sitting up to face him.

"We can worry about it tomorrow, let's go," Ridly said heading for the door. Rayne nodded, taking the gun, and sliding off the glass, looking towards the back.

"BYE BETH!" She smiled, before walking out of the door.

"Bye, be careful," Beth called. Ridly walked quickly up the winding streets.

"It's gotten bigger since I was here last."

"You know I don't like it when you talk in riddles." She said softly, looking towards him with a grin. "What has?"

"This city," Ridly said gesturing down a darkened street. "Last time I was here it was only a few blocks, hardly a city but now..."

"The world's moving on." She shrugged, looking towards him, walking towards the tavern. "Life starts over."

"So true." Ridly mused as he approached the tavern door, he opened it and entered. Three other people had taken the place of Rayne's friends. Fortunately they only looked up once as they walked through the door. She smiled a bit, and looked towards him.

"So...which way's our room this time?" Ridly made a short stop at the front desk before leading the way down a hall.

"Here." He said, opening the door to a slightly smaller but more comfortable room. Rayne smiled, plopping happily into one of the chairs.

"Comfy!" Ridly stood looking around, he looked distracted.

"Yes, very nice." Rayne looked towards him, raising an eyebrow, as she slid out of the armor she'd been wearing and looked towards him.

"Ridly? Are you okay?" She said, looking up at him.

"Hmm...eh...what? Oh yes, just got some things on my mind, don't worry about it." Ridly sat in the other chair and dropped his pack. Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit.

"Too late." She said softly, relaxing back into the chair. "Spill."

"Well…I was just thinking about this other guy, I mean he has a working car engine I was just wondering what else he has, that's all." Rayne looked towards him, and shrugged a bit.

"What do you think it's about?"

"I don't know I just want to talk to him, he seems to know a good deal, and maybe he'll have some good stories too." Ridly sat back and looked at the ceiling. Rayne nodded a bit, looking towards him.

"What do you think he's planning to do with a car engine?"

"Drive it, what else would he do with that car engine." Rayne shrugged.

"I didn't think there were that many cars left..."

"Well if he has the Vault City maintenance shed working on the engine, this guy has some pull..."

"Some pull...more than some...you know how long it takes to fix a car engine if you're doing trial and error? That kinda deal would hold up stuff for weeks..." Ridly only shrugged and looked around.

"One question. Who gets the bed?" Rayne looked towards him.

"You do...I'm fine here." She shrugged, closing her eyes as she sunk further into the chair.

"You do realize that it bothers me that you keep giving up the most comfortable spots right?"

"Not really..." She said easily, looking towards him. "I just really don't mind."

"Well I think it's your turn to be comfortable for a night, besides if you count all the times I've been knocked out, I've slept more than you have." Ridly put his head back and closed his eyes. Rayne looked towards him, rolled her eyes, and sighed, sliding into the bed, and putting a gun, safety on, under the pillow, as she looked up to the ceiling, turning the light out.

"Night Rids..."

"Good night Rayne, sleep well…I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a bad day"

"You do?" She said, looking towards him. "Well, that kind of contradicts the whole "Sleep well" part of your goodnight." She grumbled, sighing a bit, before closing her eyes. Ridly chuckled and fell asleep, dreaming of a skeleton army, fierce fights, and a slow painful death.


	12. Chapter 12

Rayne dreamed of blood, body pieces floating in a sea of it…it was...everywhere; she was trapped. Her eyes snapped open, falling out of the bed, and crawling away from it.

"That's it; next time I take the chair..." She muttered softly. Ridly was already awake, his dreams had awoken him moments before and he was drenched with sweat. He smiled grimly at her.

"You too huh? I'm going to take a quick shower." Ridly got up and headed for the bath room. She looked up towards him, and sighed, putting her head against the wall, and closed her eyes, brushing loose strands of hair out of her face, before standing up, and opening the window and letting the wind blow. Ridly turned on the shower and stripped. As he let the water wash over him he tried to erase the dream from his mind, but it stuck like a sliver. Suddenly he had the terribly feeling everything was going to go wrong.

Rayne closed her eyes, and slowly toyed with her braid, looking out to the sky. It all seemed horribly off...she tried shaking the dream out of her head...it was only a dream...right? She sighed a bit, muttering curses in three different languages under her breath. Ridly toweled off and put his armor back on, it might be uncomfortable but he wanted it anyway. As he stepped out of the bathroom he asked.

"You alright?"

"No." She said truthfully, looking towards him. "Not in any way at all am I even in the same hemisphere as alright."

"Well at least I know we're both on the same page, can you sleep?" Ridly moved his chair closer to the door and sat with the shotgun in his lap. She looked towards him, and raised an eyebrow.

"Can you?"

"Lightly but yes." She sighed, and turned back to the balcony, shaking her head.

"No, I can't." She said softly, looking towards him. "You don't mind if I head down to the maintenance place do you?"

"If it will help you relax, go armed, don't forget to knock or you may get a rude surprise." Ridly nodded at the door then at his shotgun. She nodded, taking a gun or two, and her daggers before nodding to Ridly, and walking out.

"I'll work on the armor for you." She smiled before closing the door.

"Wait," Ridly started lurching after her, "I'd like that armor to be my own, little project...you know what, I don't think it's worth going back to sleep. Mind if I join you?" Rayne only nodded a bit, looking back at him.

"No problem." She smiled, looking at him. Ridly nodded, retrieved his pack and followed her out the door. As they walked toward the maintenance area, Ridly began to look from side to side.

"What's up?" She said softly, looking towards him, and walked towards the shed.

"Nothing just being cautious is all." Ridly held the door open for her and backed in after her. Rayne nodded a bit, walking towards the backroom.

"Beth!" She said easily, her muscles tensing when she didn't get an answer. "Hn..."

"Beth has probably gone home, she doesn't live here, though some might think that." Despite Ridly's calming words he made sure that every crack, crevice, and shadow was clean before he put the shotgun down. Rayne nodded, looking around.

"Yeah...but it's like...10." She said softly, looking around, and seeing the computer she'd seen the last time. "We should go find the other Ridly, once you're done with your armor."

"Yeah..." Ridly trailed off and then sat down and went back to repairing the armor. "What do you think is his involvement in all this?"

"I don't know...I haven't met him yet." She smiled a bit, taking the top of the casing off, before looking inside of the thing, playing around with a few wires, before rock music started blasting out of the speakers. She grinned. Ridly nearly fell over, seated as he was.

"Jesus! Turn it off, we're not supposed to be here in the first place!" Rayne looked towards him, and nodded, unhooking a speaker. "If we get caught they'll throw us out if we're lucky, if not, they'll shoot us." Ridly went back to repairing the armor. She looked away from him, sighed a bit, and nodded, making sure everything checked out on the computer before taking it off its shelf.

"That's four."

"Four what?" His head snapped up, before he realized and shook it. "Oh god, you are really going to clear this place out aren't you?" Rayne grinned a bit, and looked towards him, going to another one.

"Definite possibility."

"Ok, but you get to carry it all." Ridly said, going right back to his work.

"Trailer." She said, kneeling down and into a corner, pulling something off the wall and looking at it.

"You can carry it all to the trailer then."

"The trailer moves..." She laughed, looking towards the device again. "What the hell is this?" She said softly, pushing one of the buttons, and watching as a torrent of blood came out of the wall. She screamed, before it passed through her, and then faded out. Ridly jumped to his feet.

"What the hell is going on?" She was shaking a bit, looking towards the thing, sighing softly.

"Nothing...nothing...hol...hologram." She said softly, curling up in the corner, and closing her eyes. Ridly hurried over to her, his work forgotten.

"Rayne, Rayne! Look at me!" Ridly put his hands on Rayne's shoulders. Rayne looked up towards him, her eyes still widened with fear as she did.

"Y...yeah Ridly?"

"It was a hologram, nothing more. Everything is fine. You're okay." Ridly was trying to keep his voice calm and soothing. She looked up to him, and shook her head.

"It was in my dream..."

"That doesn't mean anything; If you dreamt I was going to melt into a puddle of goo before your eyes would I? It's probably just a coincidence." Ridly sat next to her, trying to calm her.

"Ridly...Ridly...it was in my dream...that's some freaky ass coincidence..." She said softly, still a little shaken. "I...and why would anyone...where'd they get enough blood to make that kind of hologram anyway? Why would...dear lord..."

"Rayne, Shh, that can be created digitally, they don't need any blood at all just colors and they can create anything."

"I know...I-I might sound a bit rediculous...but that scared the hell out of me..."

"It would have scared me too," Ridly was looking at the offending box and wondered why anyone would leave such a thing as that still programmed. Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit.

"You done with the armor yet?"

"No, not yet...I..I'll be finished soon..." Ridly moved over to the holographic projector and picked it up, a light was flashing red on the console. Rayne's eyes widened, backing farther into the corner.

"Don't touch it Ridly..." She said softly, looking at the box. Ridly pressed his fingers over her lips, smiled at her and took the projector into the other room.

Ridly studied the box for a moment and pressed the button. A tide of blood rolled over him, flames licked at his face, and he saw what he hoped he would never see again; a monster 9 feet tall in armor bearing a flaming sword marching over the broken skeletons on a battle field. As the image faded, words appeared in the air as if written in fresh blood: 'HE COMES TO KILL YOU ALL!' Rayne sighed a bit, and stood up, walking towards the back, and her eyes widened.

"He...he comes to kill you all..." She whispered softly, standing next to Ridly. Ridly jumped at her words and dropped the box.

"I...I...I'm going to destroy that stupid box!" Ridly raised his foot to smash it.

"Don't!"

"What?" He said, his eyes widened as he turned to her.

"Don't smash it." She said softly, picking it up. "The last bit...the last bit was your dream."

"No, but...it strikes a cord, something I didn't recognize before. I have a feeling this box was meant to be prophetic."

"That's why we can't destroy it." She said softly, looking at him, she smiled weakly. "We don't necessarily have to watch it...but we should keep it..." She said, looking towards him. "We need to go talk to Ridly, bring the armor with you. He wanted a car engine, maybe he's going to try and get out of here...maybe he knows more about this."

"Let me finish the armor; it will only take a few more minutes." Ridly moved over to where the armor lay…trying to get his hands to stop shaking. Rayne knelt next to him, and closed her hands around his, the shaking contained by her hands. Ridly smiled his thanks.

"I wanted to present this to you at a more appropriate date but…I believe you will be needing this." Ridly stood and held out the armor to her. It was fully repaired but had little additions to it. "I added extra padding over the more vital points, the heart, lungs, etc. And Beth helped me install a tactical radio in the helmet, for communication. I also inscribed your name on it..."

"You've been doing this for me?" She said softly, looking towards it. "It's beautiful..." She said softly, running her hand over the name, before looking over to him. "You've made one for yourself right?"

"There was only one, and yes I did it for you..." Ridly looked a little sheepish. Rayne looked up at him.

"But what about you Rids...if...if what I think's happening...is happening...I think you'll need this as well..."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine, I'm just worried about you." Rayne looked at him, one hand still clasped over his, the other one running back and forth across her name.

"Why..." She said softly, looking down at it.

"I...I...care about you Rayne, you mean so much..." She looked up to him, a small gleam in her eyes, before pushing the armor a bit to the side, and kissing him softly. Ridly returned the kiss gently, before putting his arms around her. Rayne smiled a bit, deepening the kiss, and leaning into him, her eyes closing. it...it felt so right here...her dark brown eyes stared into his, and smiled against the kiss. This was right. Ridly felt her body against his; he felt the warmth and it filled him, he began caressing her back, feeling every inch of her spine. She moaned softly at that, looking up at him, and then her eyes closed as she kissed him deeper, wrapping her arms around his neck, before pulling away just a little bit.

"You..." Ridly looked at her, he felt something grow inside him.

"Rayne...I love you." Rayne smiled at him, and nodded.

"I love you too." She smiled closing her eyes, and resting against him. Ridly breathed in the scent of her hair, this was paradise, he could feel her slow breathing and the beat of his heart, and he was truly happy for the first time. Rayne's eyes closed, and she smiled, before looking towards him.

"We...we have to go you know..." She said softly..."If what that damned box said was true...I..I don't think we have much time." Ridly looked at her. "Yes, we must hurry." Ridly could feel it now, destiny marched at the heels of hell itself. "They are coming, we have about a week to prepare a defense. I have much work to do." Rayne looked at him, and smiled a bit.

"We have a lot of work to do..." She said softly, and looked at him, standing up, and looking at the armor, taking it in the back with her, and coming out with it on, smiling a bit at Ridly. "How do I look?"

"Radiant, I guessed right, it's perfect...as far as battle armor goes that is..." Ridly smiled as he looked her over. Rayne nodded, and looking towards him.

"Okay.." She said softly, nodding a bit, before looking up to where Beth said Ridly was. "Let's go."

"Let's take the engine, I'm sure we'll need it." Ridly motioned to her as he entered the back room. Rayne nodded, and walked into the back, looking towards Ridly.

"We're taking it to him?"

"Yeah, this thing could prove useful." Ridly bent to lift the heavy engine.

"How are you going to carry this?" She laughed, looking at it. "I think I found a dolly or something out back...something with wheels...no need to strain yourself...right?" She smiled, looking towards it.

"Right, let's get this thing out of here." Ridly motioned for her to lead the way. Rayne nodded, finding a wheelbarrow, and pulling it out of a pile of junk.

"There you go." She said, pushing it in to the back room. before looking around a last time. Ridly loaded the engine with small difficulty.

"Anything else you want to bring?" Rayne thought about it for a second, and went to get the AK-47 she'd worked on last night, and smiled a bit.

"That's it."

"Any stuff at the inn?" Ridly was busy trying to maneuver the wheelbarrow out the door but he managed it finally.

"You want me to go get our stuff, and meet you there?" She said, looking towards him, looking up to the sky. It was so off...

"Yeah, I'll meet you there, I just hope I can get this thing out the gate."

"Don't worry about breaking the engine, I can just fix it again remember?" She said softly, leaving a note to Beth about the engine, before looking towards Ridly, and walking out the front and walking to the back. "Alright."

"See you at the trailer." Ridly gave a sloppy salute and moved the wheelbarrow toward the gate. Rayne smiled a bit, walking back to the inn, and gathering their stuff, checking out quickly, and looking around, the wind starting to blow. Something wasn't right about this...

She shook her head softly, and started moving towards the trailer.

Ridly manhandled the engine into the trailer and made a last minute check of equipment while he waited for Rayne. They were coming and he had to stop them, even if it killed him. Rayne hopped aboard the trailer, putting her pack and the various guns onto the table, looking towards him, smiling a bit, before looking back up to the house.

"So it begins..." She said softly, walking into the computer room, and the trailer started.

"Yes, it begins," Ridly said absently, he busied himself with checking the things she had brought, before giving up and slumping into "his" chair; the one he had claimed on that afternoon that seemed so long ago. Rayne sat down next to him, and looked at him, smiling only softly.

"Spill."

"Not much to spill, but I can feel them, the army moving closer. We have a little over 6 days to rally a defense of the entire world as we know it. This isn't just Vault City but everyone, they want to destroy everything." Ridly stared up at the ceiling trying focus on his thoughts. Rayne looked towards him, her eyes closing.

"Then we'll just have to move faster won't we?" She said, looking towards him.

"Yes..." Ridly answered weakly. Rayne sighed a bit, looking towards him, and watched as they rolled up in front of the other Ridly's house.

"We're here." Ridly blinked away his inner troubles.

"You sure know how to haul ass when it's needed." Ridly left all but his sidearm in the trailer. As he stepped out an old man in a purple robe emerged from a house structure.

"Hello Ridly, how are you?" Rayne hopped down after Ridly, and smiled a bit at the man.

"We have your engine."

"Yes, I figured he would bring it. Where are my manners, come inside, sit, have something to drink." Ridly shifted to his other leg.

"We can't, we have to keep going. We're trying to..."

"Raise a defense against the oncoming horror, I know all about it. You must come inside, some things shouldn't be explained in open air." Ridly nodded mutely and followed the other man inside. Rayne walked after him, feeling a bit awkward. This...would be interesting...


	13. Chapter 13

"Please sit," the man said as he moved into the kitchen and began to make coffee. Ridly found a solid looking chair and sat uncomfortably. After a few minutes of awkward silence, he burst.

"What's going on, and why do I have this desire to find you?"

"Because it is your fate, Ridly. Nothing happens by coincidence, you and I have the same name, you are the Chosen One, as I once was." Rayne took a seat farther away from the two, but still close enough to hear, and feel...what was going on. She felt like a bystander to this...and she didn't like the feeling. But there was nothing she could do about it. She only waited for everything to be explained.

"Chosen One, what does that mean?" Ridly asked and he seemed convinced.

"It means you are destined to fight a great battle to preserve life as we know it. You must gather your allies for this fight and do everything in you power to win, but the outcome of such a battle is up to you." The man brought 3 cups from the kitchen and placed one before Rayne. "This must be Rayne," he said with a smile before giving Ridly a cup and sitting down himself. Rayne smiled gratefully at the old man, and looked at the cup, taking a small sip, but still remaining silent...until...her eyes narrowed as she looked up to him in confusion.

"How'd you know my name?" She said softly.

"Don't worry, I made many friends in my travels and one of them passed on your adventures to me, It seems you two have had quite an impact on New Reno, and several other cities." the man relaxed and sipped his coffee. Ridly did the same.

"I'm not sure what to do now that I'm here, do you have any suggestions?"

"Ah but that is why you came, is it not?" the other man stood and went to the bookshelf, picked out a fairly large book and brought it back to his chair. Rayne looked towards the book, and scooted herself a little closer to the table. It looked rather old, and worn, but still in good condition.

"What is it?"

"It is, what they called an atlas, a map of the world, many in fact, but the only one that concerns you now is the map of this country." The man opened the book and tore out a large page which had extensive writings on it. "This map marks the cities you will need to go to, in order to muster your army. Follow it in any way you choose but remember to visit the area in the center. That is the Brotherhood of Steel's main base, you will be known there. I suggest you spend time there in training, building your strength and knowledge. You will gain respect and a loyal following, at the end of five days, gather your men and equipment and meet me here, I will have something for you."

Ridly could only nod as his eyes never left the map. Rayne looked at the map, and started calculating distances in her head. They'd cut it close...

"I'm sorry that this must be a short meeting but as you say, time is short." The man stood and left the room. Ridly picked up the map, leaving his coffee and looked at Rayne.

"Well; we'd better haul."

"We will." She smiled, looking up at him, standing up as well. "We don't have another choice." She smiled once, before standing up, and looking towards the map. "What's the first stop?" Ridly handed her the map and pointed.

"Here, a large town about 4000 miles south east. We should move in a semi-circle from there, it should only take us two...two and a half days to make all these stops, but I want to have at minimum two days at the Brotherhood base." Rayne nodded.

"Gotcha." She said softly, looking at the map, before walking into the trailer, and looking towards the engine. "Should we give that to him?"

"Sorry, about being so terse...uh I think we can just leave it in front." Ridly was looking at the engine then back at the house his strange counter-part occupied.

"Not a problem Ridly...I understand." She smiled towards him, before walking into the trailer, and started putting in the coordinates for the points they had to get to. Ridly watched her walk, admiring the view, before getting to the task of moving the engine to the front of the house. When he finished he entered the trailer.

"Okay, let's roll." She nodded a bit, the trailer starting up, and coasting along towards their destination.

"Right." She said, looking towards him, grinning, and plopping down on a chair. Ridly moved to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Well it's a long way to go what should we do?" Rayne looked towards Ridly, smiling a bit, before shrugging. "Up to you Rids..." She said, smirking a bit, as she kissed him back and sat on the table. "I'm up for...anything."

"Really." Ridly kissed her hard and put his arms around her. "I have a few ideas," he said as he moved them towards the bedroom...Rayne looked towards him, and smirked a bit. "You're thinking of what I'm thinking?" She laughed a bit, looking at him as she opened the door.When he heard them roll away the older Ridly opened his door and looked at the engine and back up at the trailer cruising away. He smiled slightly and then let out a long whistle.


	14. Chapter 14

The two and a half days of travel sped by as they moved from town to town. Ridly received great respect and warriors offered service almost with out question. It was a tad surreal to Ridly as he spent his days traveling and his nights in Rayne's warm embrace. Only the nights seemed to bring him peace though as the weight of his destiny bore down upon him. At the end of the third day, the two arrived at the Brotherhood.

Rayne looked up, slowly sliding out of Ridly's arms and walking to the door, as the trailer rolled to a stop. "We're here.." She said easily, looking back towards the trailer. Ridly nodded and dressed quickly. As he exited two large men in armor approached.

"Who are you and what is your business with the Brotherhood?" Ridly looked at both of them and at their weapons, a large bore mini-gun and an energy weapon of some kind. He did not feel the fear these men tried to inspire.

"My name is Ridly, I come seeking help from the Brotherhood of Steel." Rayne walked towards his side, looking up at the two men, and towards the large set of buildings in front of her. The soldier's face was obscured by his full helmet as he stooped to look closer.

"Wait, I know you, you were the wanderer who we encountered by the coast, yes?"

"I did encounter some Brotherhood soldiers by the coast, yes."

"Well I'll be damned, pleased to see you again Ridly, my name's Paladin Akerson." Rayne chuckled softly, looking towards the two. She was right. Ridly had friends everywhere. She looked towards him, and then back towards the buildings.

"May we enter?"

"Of course ma'am," Akerson said and showed them to the smallest building with a single door. The Brotherhood symbol was painted on. "It's an elevator, the main base is underground, I'll radio ahead, they have been expecting you believe it or not." Ridly entered as the doors parted.

"Oh I believe it." He waited for Rayne to get on the platform before hitting the button and sending them into the depths of the earth. Rayne waited for the door to open, and smiled a bit as they did, taking them to the main floor of the Brotherhood. She walked out, and onto the bustling floor of activity. "Fun..." She said, waiting for Ridly to join her. Ridly strolled out onto the main floor looking at the activity.

"Well this place is jumping," Ridly remarked.

"And your the cause of it," said a voice filled with barely controlled energy. A man in large black armor moved to greet them. Ridly noticed that the man's body seemed too big for his head...or was it that the armor made him look larger?

"Senior Paladin Hudson, we've been expecting you."

"So your guard said." Rayne looked up at the man, and smirked a bit, before looking around the place. She saw a cart being pushed filled to the brim with odd assortments of junk and the curiosity started getting to her. She shifted in place, her eyes following the cart. Ridly studied the man for a moment. "Sir I've come for..."

"I know what your here for." Hudson said, his tone flat. "I have sixteen of my best men, handpicked by me, ready to move at your orders."

"Thank you, who will be leading them?" Hudson looked a tad confused before he answered.

"Why you would, sir. I would only request that I act as your second." Ridly was surprised at his answer.

"Wait, since when did I become a general?"

"The moment you stepped onto that elevator sir." Hudson grinned and saluted, Ridly returned it. Hudson looked about and said, "The elders know of your mission and have given you the run of the base and have quarters waiting for you, sir." Rayne's eyes widened a bit. This might be a little more interesting then she expected it would be. She looked towards Ridly, and then slowly walked off after the cart. Ridly watched her go and smiled, "Alright Hudson, let's see those quarters." Rayne caught up to the cart, and looked towards some of the things inside, she dug under several computer parts, to salvage a long sword. Her eyes widened, looking at it. It was beautiful...She smiled at the man who was pushing the cart, and drew it out.

"Mind if I keep this?" She said softly. He shook his head, and she smiled, nodding a bit as she walked off.

Ridly spent some time in the quarters looking around before he decided to explore, everything was where he thought it would be, he found the armory with ease and R-and-D labs. The gym was only a minute from their quarters, he watched as the soldiers trained and accepted when some of the instructors offered him a chance for a hand to hand fight with one of the commandos. Even they were impressed with how long he lasted, Ridly kept picking himself up and continuing the fight, tired and bruised though he was. When he returned to their quarters the only thing on his mind was a hot shower and sleep.

Rayne continued walking down the hallway, wanting to explore this place fully. She walked into a room, that was darkened and empty. She shrugged a bit, the sword on her shoulder as she walked into it. This room was different from the others...She heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and she spun, watching as a guy thrust a sword towards her. Her eyes widened as she blocked quickly, backing away from the man. He looked towards her, a smile on his face.

"You came with Ridly?"

"Y..yeah..." She said softly, looking towards him. "Who are you?"

"Someone to help." He said simply, before raising his sword again. "I want to teach you how to use that...you'll need it." He smiled, and looked towards her. "Come on." Rayne only looked towards him, and closed her eyes. What would the harm be in it. She opened her eyes smiling.

"Alright..."

After Ridly showered he slept; but not long. He awoke about 3 hours later. He decided to go look in at the armory. One man in armor worked late, he was milling something Ridly couldn't see past the large armor. He looked over the stores of weapons and let out a low whistle. The man in armor spun, moving into a fighting stance, "Who are you? What's your business!"

"My name is Ridly, I just..."

"Sir!" The man snapped to attention. "Sorry sir I did not know it was you!"

"Um, at ease soldier, I just came to look at your weapons, maybe drool a little," Ridly joked.

"Help yourself sir, just ask and you can have it, the elders have given you top clearance."

"You mean I can take anything?"

"Anything sir."

"Well I want to know what they are first."

"Yes sir, let me give you the tour," the soldier finally cracked a smile.

Rayne slumped towards the ground, the sword dropping out of her hand as she looked up to him. He was smiling at her, he looked a little worn too, but not nearly as much as Rayne did. He knelt down near her.

"You did good." He said easily, looking towards her. "Especially for a first timer..." He said, and looked towards her. "How do you feel?"

"Like hell."

"That's usual." He laughed a bit, looking towards her. "My name's Lorne. If you want, I'll take you to your quarters." He said, helping her to her feet. She nodded a bit, picking up the sword, and looking towards him.

"That'd be nice."

"I thought that it would..." He smirked, and then walked out of the room. "You might want to pick up a sword though...you're too good for that piece of junk." He said easily. She nodded, and looked towards the armory.

"Come with me in case I pass out?" He chuckled a bit, and nodded, walking her towards there. Rayne smiled wearily when she saw Ridly.

"Hey Rids...long time no see..."

Ridly was examining a modified plasma rifle when Rayne entered.

"Hi Rayne, nice sword, who's your new buddy?" Ridly was grinning from ear to ear as he placed the weapon back on the rack.

"Someone who just kicked my ass for the last couple hours...his name's Lorne."

Lorne nodded towards Ridly.

"Nice to meet you." He said easily, smiling at the man. Rayne nodded, and looked towards the rack of swords.

"I really didn't think anyone would keep these kind of weapons here anymore...all in the past..."

"Not quite..." Lorne said softly, and walked towards the sword rack, looking through them, before handing one to Rayne. "Try this one alright?" She nodded a bit, and looked towards Ridly.

"How've you been?"

"Getting a butt kicking same as you. Oh sorry," the soldier tapped Ridly on the shoulder. "Rayne this is Quartermaster Jerome." The quartermaster gave here a quick salute, "Ma'am. Sir, there is something I have been working on for you, its almost finished, I'd like you to see it." Ridly nodded and winked at Rayne.

"Lead on." The two marched off to the workbench that Jerome had been working at when Ridly had first entered. Rayne only nodded, looking towards the workbench.

"I want to see." She said softly, looking at the work bench and smiling. "What is it?"

"Just a moment," Jerome said as sparks flashed. He worked for about five minutes before he finished, he handed it to Ridly. It was a hammer of incredible size yet he could lift it easily. "The handle contains a small power cell that, when activated, sheathes the hammer in an energy field, effectively making it the deadliest hand to hand weapon ever made." Lorne shook his head.

"Same old Jerome, all punch and no finesse." Rayne smiled a bit at Lorne's comment, before looking at the hammer.

"Pretty!" She smiled, looking towards the thing, and looked towards Jerome. "What's the power source?" Jerome glared at Lorne for a second.

"A fairly efficient micro fusion cell, need replacing only after 24 hours of constant use, ma'am." Ridly took a few test swings with the weapon, "Great balance, nice handle." Ridly was holding it in both hands as he examined the weapon. Lorne chuckled lightly, looking towards him.

"Did I upset you Jer, terribly sorry." He smiled, bowing slightly. "My apologies..." He turned to Rayne, and smiled a bit. "When do you want your next lesson?"

"After two or three good hours of sleep." She muttered, looking at him. "I'm hurting in places I didn't even use." Ridly smiled at her.

"Good old Brotherhood workouts, got to love them." Ridly stretched and handed the hammer back to Jerome. "Thanks very much, this means a lot; keep her safe. I'll be back in a couple days." Jerome beamed.

"Yes sir, I'll guard it with my life." Ridly chuckled as he left the armory.

"Take it easy Quartermaster!" He called back. Rayne nodded to Lorne.

"Thank you and see you at...8?" She said softly, walking towards her quarters, sliding into bed after a shower. Her dreams, weren't as bad as they had been...it was something she was familiar with...it was a huge battle...people everywhere...and she saw herself there as well...

Ridly was training, the robots gave him a good work out and he fought furiously. Several times he had to turn up the difficulty level because they became too easy, he kept it up until the computer warned him that raising the difficulty level any higher was only recommended for soldiers in powered armor. Ridly decided to take a break then and moved into the bathroom and threw water on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw eyes that he had never seen before, cold like steel. He returned to their quarters and quickly showered before climbing into bed.

Rayne's eyes had opened, and she looked towards him as he got into bed. "You okay Rids?" She said softly, looking towards him.

"Tired," was all he said before he fell asleep. Rayne only sighed, kissing him softly, before getting out of bed, and getting into normal clothes sans armor, and looked for her sword. She grabbed it, and easily hefted it over her shoulder looking towards him.

"Odd hours.." She shrugged a bit, before closing the door behind her. She made her way down to the place she had trained with Lorne before, and smiled as she saw him, but frowned when he saw the look on his face. "What's going on?"

"We're going to have to go at it hard." He said simply, looking towards him. "We don't have a lot of time...you'll have to leave soon to go back to Vault City to face this...and you're not trained enough yet...so we have to keep going." Rayne looked towards him, and nodded, her face becoming hard as determination filled her eyes.

"Alright then. Let's go."

Ridly had stopped sleeping, he couldn't. Things were moving very fast now and he'd have to move faster if he wanted to survive. He kept focusing on the combat sim, his movements and the machines responses, it could see him from several different angles and anticipate his moves. He leapt out of bed and clad only in his boxers went to the gym. There were some soldiers beginning training exercises and one of the instructors he had met last night. They all stopped as Ridly entered the simulation room and turned the difficulty up as far as it would go.

"**Danger termination imminent, this action is not advised**."

"Advise this." Ridly said as he punched the start and the door sealed. Suddenly the air was filled with whirling blades, fists, and other deadly objects. Ridly moved and dodged as fast as his body would take him. The instructor was pounding on the door trying to warn Ridly. He ignored the man as he concentrated on surviving. Suddenly a fist punched him in the side, breaking a rib and stunning Ridly. In the moment of helplessness a dozen blows smashed into him with jackhammer force. Ridly landed in a heap and rolled as the floor where he was shattered under hundreds of blows.

"Not fast enough." Ridly said out loud. He was at his breaking point; he could barely dodge the blows much less retaliate and the injuries began to slow him down.

Rayne nearly slid to the floor, but Lorne only sighed.

"Get up...we have to keep going." He said, looking towards her. Rayne nodded, getting back up to her feet, and looked towards him, drawing her sword again, and looked towards him. He only seemed to get faster as they kept going, as if he'd been going easy on her yesterday, even earlier in their session.

"You're playing with me aren't you?" She said, looking towards him. He looked towards her, and nodded a bit.

"Yes, I am. Which means, you have to start working at my level." He said to her softly, and smiled a bit. "I'm going to stop playing, and you're going to start working harder." Rayne only looked towards him, and nodded, smiling a bit.

"Gotcha." She said softly, and started fighting. His skill had improved ten times over since the last time, and now she was struggling to keep herself upright. She blocked once, and spun to the ground, slashing twice at his legs before rolling back up to her feet and slashing downwards. She knew what she had to do.

Ridly was tiring but the machines weren't even close, he hadn't had a chance to land a single hit and they had already beaten him badly. He was running out of options.

'How do I beat a computer that knows every move I make before I make it?' He closed his eyes and felt something deep shatter like glass; he let fly with a flurry of punches that disintegrated the closest drone.

"Not fast enough," Ridly said again this time with a smile on his face as he moved to kill another drone. He moved as a blur, ripping through the machines calmly and coolly, the machines managed to land some hits but Ridly ignored them as he finally killed the last drone.

Then he opened his eyes. The door had been opened while he fought and Ridly saw hundreds of faces staring at him in disbelief.

"Well that was fun," Ridly said as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

Rayne got back to her feet after getting kicked into a wall, and sighed, looking towards him, and nodded, lunging for him again. She dodged once, and he slashed at her, wincing as it drew blood on her shoulder all the way down to her wrist. It was a shallow cut but it hurt like hell. She gasped in pain, before her eyes narrowed. That was it. She growled deep in her throat, and turned, slashing him hard across the chest, before thrusting forward. His eyes widened as he blocked it, spinning around to get at her back. She blocked him easily, before ducking under the sword as he took a high swing. She cut him hard to the back, sending him to his knees. But he only slid his leg under hers. She rolled back to her feet, and sliced at him before he got a chance to move from that position. Lorne's exterior was a mask, but inside he was grinning. There it went.

Ridly was rushed to the infirmary flanked by every person who had seen his performance, which was almost everyone in the base. Word had spread fast and the cameras were fed into the display panel outside the room. Everyone had seen him destroy the training chamber as if he had been going for a jog.

He woke some hours later on the recovery table. His chest was wrapped in tape and he had a cast on his leg. "Hello," he croaked, "I'd like to leave now!" Rayne had finished her training a few hours ago, after she'd knocked out Lorne, and was sitting next to Ridly, still exhausted, but unable to sleep. She looked towards Ridly as he woke up, and sighed.

"Not yet you can't." She said easily, looking towards him. Ridly looked over at her and relaxed a smile on his face.

"You look a little worse for wear, you and Lorne have an argument?"

"No...four or five hours of sword fighting can do that to a girl..." She said smiling a bit. "I won though...but you...Ridly, got into an argument with the simulation robots; and although you look bad...Jerome's not happy." Ridly chuckled a bit and examined himself.

"I bet, having to replace all those machines wouldn't make my day either."

"I saw the tape...you kicked ass." She said, smiling at him, and tossed her hair over her back. "You should get out in another hour or so...they have this speed healing stuff...works wonders..."

"Yes, my leg feels better already. But I'm concerned about my fight."

"What about it?" She said softly, looking at him.

"I'm afraid…it isn't enough." Ridly had a sour expression on his face as he looked at the cast on his leg. She smiled a bit at him, and nodded.

"He's been working on some higher levels as well." She said, looking towards him. "I know how you feel...I really wish I hadn't knocked out Lorne..."

"I'm sure he'll be fine, as long as you didn't leave him in a puddle of his own blood. How do you feel?"

"Well...it wasn't a BIG puddle." Rayne looked towards him, and smiled a bit. "Once you've healed, I want you to fight with me." She said, closing her eyes, and waiting for his response.

"Weapons?" Ridly raised his eyebrow with a half smile on his face.

"Up to you...but I want to get stronger...I need to...for what's coming." She said simply, looking towards him.

"I'd rather not, I don't want to run the risk of wounding you." Rayne looked towards him.

"What'd I say about babying me?" She said to him, a grim smile on her face.

"Besides I'm better at hand to hand anyway," Ridly grinned. She smirked a bit, and looked towards him, sitting back down in her seat and looking towards him.

"That's what I thought." Ridly shifted as he took stock of his body, his ribs had stopped throbbing and his leg only ached.

"I feel pretty good."

"You sure?" She said softly, looking towards his leg in the cast, and pushed on it lightly.

"Sure." Ridly lifted himself off the bed and into a sitting position. "Whoops, dizzy." Rayne only sighed a bit, and sat back down.

"There's a training area down below, where me and Lorne have been...if you want space." She said, smiling at him, as she looked towards him, and stood up, kissing him gently on the lips, before walking out the door. "See you down there." Ridly nodded at her back and watched her leave, as he lay back down for a bit.

"That girl will be the death of me." He thought about it for a moment and smiled before getting up and testing his leg, it would hold. Ridly quickly removed the cast and headed below.


	15. Chapter 15

Rayne looked up as the door opened, and put the sword to the side, and looked towards him. "I haven't practiced as much hand to hand...but don't let that stop you." She said, looking up to him. "Alright?" Ridly looked around the room and stepped closer to Rayne.

"Don't worry…I won't stop." He cracked a grin that was half sneer. "First rule, no cheating." Ridly suddenly lashed out with a punch. Rayne dodged it just before he hit, and nodded.

"Gotcha." She said quickly, coming back with a punch towards him. "Any other rules?" Ridly paused and smiled.

"Second rule, there are none." Ridly let loose a flurry a punches and kicks. Rayne's eyes widened at the attack and then narrowed, after feeling a few connect she winced, and blocked two punches. She grabbed his right arm, and spun herself to get to his back, kicking him hard to the spine, before pushing herself off of him. Ridly grunted and stumbled forward a few steps, he turned and grinned.

"So the girl knows a few tricks after all." He didn't charge then, but moved back and to the right straddling her abandoned sword. He looked intently into her eyes. Rayne looked back into his eyes, a faint smirk playing on her lips as she moved closer to him.

"You intending to use that?" She said softly, before looking up at him, and grinned. "It won't hurt me where it is." In a fluid motion Ridly swept down, grabbed the hilt and brought the weapon up. He held it before him, examining the blade, nodded and threw the sword passed Rayne, where it embedded itself in the wall. Rayne rolled her eyes looked towards him. "Impeccable aim." She said simply, before rushing him, using her momentum to run up the wall and kicking him hard across the shoulder before coming down. Ridly let the blow fall, testing his own ability before grabbing her from behind in an arm lock.

"I wasn't aiming for you." He whispered in her ear before kissing her on the cheek and letting her go. He danced back a few feet and fell into a stance. She looked towards him, and got into a stance herself, and nodded.

"Next time you should." She looked towards him, and smiled. "Come on." Ridly did rush this time; he sent his fist flying, he felt her block some and some connect, but nothing he was certain wouldn't heal. Rayne growled a bit, taking a punch to the stomach, and was pushed back a couple feet, before looking towards him, sending a few punches his way.

"You're not holding back are you?"

"Not as such," Ridly blocked her returns and countered, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him, he set aside and slammed his fist into her back. She fell to her knees, wincing a bit, but only looked back towards him, sweeping her leg under his and hopping back up to her feet, and punching him hard to the chest.

Ridly stumbled back, that had really hurt, he began to worry, he was reaching his peak and she hadn't even started yet. This may be a battle I can't win. Ridly moved. He made to punch with his right hand, when she blocked he grabbed her shoulder with his left and pushed her back over his foot.

She was sent to the floor, her head hitting hard against the floor. She got back up, his hand still in hers, and smirked, pulling him closer towards her, before spinning him and pinning him there, one arm holding his arm close to breaking, and the other one around his throat. Ridly moved his head back so she could hear him through the strangle hold.

"Nice moves," he grabbed her arm with his free hand, bent at the waist and tossed her to the mat. Rayne looked up to him, getting back up, a bit slower than she had the last time and looked towards him, smiling a bit.

"You too." She said, and looked towards him. "Your turn."

Ridly moved to bring his fists up and suddenly let fly a snap kick from flat on his feet. Rayne caught his foot, and Ridly blinked, he didn't think he had given any indication of the move but she had caught it as if she had seen it coming. Rayne looked up to him, and let his leg go, and smiled again.

"Maybe Lorne did show me a few things." She said easily, before looking at him, and brought her own fists up, punching him twice. Ridly was still stunned at her catch, he didn't react fast enough to block, and the blows made him take a step back.

"Am I getting slower or...?" He let the question hang in the air as he pressed the attack. He punched and kicked as fast as his body would let him.

Rayne only continued fighting him, and matched his pace, blocking the ones she knew would hurt, and starting to retaliate with some of her own, punching him once hard to the jaw, and then getting punched back herself, and pushed back again a few feet.

Ridly couldn't keep up as she began to accelerate her pace; he tried to get in a punch but soon it began to get dangerous. If he let his guard down to attack she would hit him before he could, it was all he could do to block and dodge. As she drove him back he tried to think of a way out. Then his back hit the wall.

"Damn!" he cursed under his breath. Rayne stopped, blinking once as she looked towards him, and stopped, smiling a bit, but concern showing in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ridly's mind was racing, how had she beaten him?

"I don't know but you are definitely better than either of us thought." Rayne blinked once, and then narrowed in confusion.

"But...why?" She said softly, looking up at him. "I've seen you fight...and I thought you were better than me."

"Honestly, so did I…but you're too damn fast." Ridly was breathing heavily now and he ached all over. Rayne watched him as he panted, and her eyebrow raised a bit, she didn't feel that tired...

"Are you sure you're still not recovering, maybe you should go back to the infirmary..."

"No, I'm good...but...well..." Rayne looked towards him, and sat down, motioning for him to sit with her.

"Well?" Ridly sat.

"I'm not sure but...I think I may have been holding back...a lot..." Rayne looked towards him, and stood up.

"Forget who I am." She said, looking towards him. "It's what you have to do. If you're going to beat me you have to forget...because emotions are holding you back."

"But when I...let go, I...I lose control...it might kill you and...I could never live with myself." Ridly remained seated and stared at the floor.

"I've been taught how to knock someone unconscious in under two seconds." She said, looking towards him. "If it gets too much for me, I'll do it." She said, looking towards him. "You have to push to your limits...because against what's coming, you're going to have to let go." Ridly already had, he knew her too well to think that she might back down. His foot caught her in the ankle with tremendous force, knocking her sideways and onto the ground, hard.

Rayne growled, stopping her head from bashing into the mat by putting her hands out into a variation of a pushup, and stood back up, looking towards him. "Up."

Ridly was on his feet in a second, his left hand out to ward off attack his left balled in a fist, ready to strike. He did, smashing his fist into Rayne's solar plexus and sending her flying.

Rayne gasped a bit for breath, landing hard onto the mat, before rolling herself back up, a determined look on her face as she dodged a punch to her head, and kicked to the side

Ridly blocked and began to strike, alternating kicks and punches. "Faster, faster." Suddenly Ridly found that he was arguing with himself.

'This isn't fair…she's not ready for this.'

'_But you must win at all costs; even if it's her.'_

'But…I don't want to hurt her, I just want her to get better.'

'_You should hurt her. She has beaten you once, you cannot afford to be beaten again.' _

'She is faster than me…but that's without this boost. We should be done.'

'_If you let this end with a loss you will never win again.'_

Rayne dodged a few of them, spinning to get to his back. He was so different now...when he let go...completely changed. She was keeping up okay...but she didn't know how long it'd last...He kicked her, and she caught his leg before he could bring it back down, grabbing it, and kicking him hard to the chest.

Ridly felt the impact but couldn't react, he tried to stop what came next but he couldn't stop himself, he wasn't in control anymore. Ridly charged, laying on a smattering of punches that almost blew through Rayne's defense.

'_I am wearing her down; I am winning.'_

'But I don't want to win this fight!'

'_It's too late, you have to; it is destiny.'_

Rayne's eyes widened, as she brought her hands up to block, but it kept coming, over and over and over again. She closed her eyes. She was the one who told him to forget...she'd be the one who'd have to face him as he is. She looked up over her arms, watching the way he moved for a couple blocks, and when he put his guard down for another punch, punched him hard to the stomach.

Ridly's body didn't respond to pain, he couldn't breathe but he never slowed down. He came high with a round house and then low with a sweep.

'STOP!'

'_NEVER!'_

Rayne slid down hard into the mat, looking up to Ridly, who still had an emotionless look upon his face, waiting for her to stand. That's what scared her...no emotion...She stood back up, and looked towards him, getting back into a stance. Why didn't he stop...

'_She shall pay!'_

'WHY? WHY MUST SHE PAY?'

'_For causing your defeat!'_

'She is faster than me!'

'_That is why she must die!'_

Ridly's body was screaming for him to stop, slow down, take a breath. Instead he moved to finish Rayne off. Around her defenses and a quick snap of the neck.

"BUT I LOVE HER!" It was gone, all the hate and rage vanished and Ridly hung in mid stride before collapsing onto the floor.

Rayne's eyes were widened, her heart beating fast as his hand dropped from her neck and he slumped to the floor. She turned, and kneeled next to him, concern pouring into her eyes, as she brushed the hair out of her face.

"Rids..." She said softly, looking down towards him. "Ridly..." Ridly could hear her now clearer than he had ever heard before but he couldn't see, his eyes were open and he couldn't see! No breath entered his lungs, he burned all over.

'My god I'm dying…'

She looked at him, her eyes suddenly snapping open, and looked down to his chest...he wasn't breathing...

"Oh god..." Ridly struggled to move, he couldn't move his body. He could feel himself lying on the floor just a lump of flesh.

'God Rayne, I'm sorry. So sorry. I should have never pushed myself this far. I should have never let you talk me into this…I should have never lost control, forgive me.'

Rayne started to panic...not good...what...what if he died here...she couldn't take that...not now...She got to her feet and bolted out the door...someone...anyone, she just needed someone to help Ridly...

He felt her leave, like a slight warmth leaving a very cold place. He was alone. Ridly felt himself gradually lose consciousness.

'Rayne...rayne...rain...rain...rai...r…'

Her eyes looked around for someone...these late hours had screwed them up...everyone was asleep...She closed her eyes, nearly crying as she blindly turned a corner, and ran into...She opened her eyes, and smiled in relief.

"Thank god...please...you gotta help me...it's Ridly...we...we were sparring and he collapsed and-and he's not breathing..."

Ridly could still feel himself, but he was standing...in pitch black but standing none the less. Something was behind him, a heat. A warmth that warned him away.

"YOU HAVE LOST AND THE WORLD IS OVER!" A voiced boomed through this eternity."YOU WILL LET THE WORLD DIE? FOR WHAT? LOVE? LOVE IS A FOOL'S CONCEPT, I THOUGHT WE LEARNED THIS ALONG TIME AGO!" Ridly turned and prepared for anything...Except what he saw. There was no monster or demon waiting but many broken pieces of glass. They lay flat on the ground.

"YOU ARE A FOOL RIDLY! YOU ALWAYS HAVE BEEN!" As Ridly stepped closer to the glass he saw...himself staring back at him with anger and hatred burning from the mirror image. "AND NOW YOU WILL DIE JUST AS EVERYONE ELSE YOU LET DOWN!"

Rayne watched as a few members of the brotherhood picked Ridly up, and sent him back to the med lab...she looked down at him, her eyes closed softly, and kissed him on the lips. "I'm sorry..." She whispered to him, before he was carried down the hall. Rayne watched them go, and closed her eyes, sitting on the ground before pulling her knees up to her chest. What did she do...

Ridly now realized what had broken in the training room...himself. He had pushed too far beyond his limits. Then he felt something warm, not the burning hatred of this broken mirror but a softer warmth, a gentler warmth that he knew so well. Suddenly Rayne's voice ripped through eternity, shattering this reality lending light to a dark world. Ridly felt hope for the first time, peace; purity. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU CAN'T LEAVE! YOU ARE DEAD! DEAD! DEAD! DEAD!" Ridly looked down at himself in the shattered mirror.

"You're right…I have been dead for a long time but I won't let that stop me. You may get your wish in the end but not now, not here." Ridly's foot came down hard on the piece that held his face. Reality tore away from him as breath ripped through his body and he re-entered the land of the living.

Rayne's eyes closed, a small tear rolling down her cheek, as she continued to draw deeper into herself. She'd only done this once before...and she'd barely gotten out of it that time. 'What...what did I do...why did I...I shouldn't have fought with him...not after he recovered...I could have waited...god...he might be dead because of me...he might be dead because of me...'

"RAYNE!" Those were the first words that came out of Ridly's mouth as he regained his ability to talk. The soldiers carrying him were startled and dropped him. Her eyes traveled upwards, seeing the soldiers in the hallway suddenly drop Ridly.

"What happened..." She said softly, a frown on her face. "What's happening?" Ridly panted as he fought his way through a stunned crowd of soldiers toward the training room.

"Rayne!" Ridly rushed to her and engulfed her in a bear hug so tight he had to loosen his grip because he feared he might suffocate her. Rayne's eyes widened, and looked towards him.

"Ri...Ridly..." She smiled a bit, looking towards him, and sighing a bit in relief. "God you scared me..." She said softly, returning the hug. "I...I thought I..." Ridly kissed her hard on the mouth and stopped her talking. When they broke from the kiss Ridly looked into her eyes, and slowly he began to cry.

"Please never ask me to do that ever again." Rayne's eyes widened, and looked towards him. "Ri-Ridly..." She smiled a bit, looking towards him, and sighing a bit in relief. "God you scared me..." She said softly, returning the hug. "I...I thought I..." Rayne looked at him, and closed her eyes, nodding.

"I promise." She said softly, looking towards him. "I won't. You...you scare me that way."

"I'm so, so, so sorry." Ridly pressed his hand against her cheek and stared into her eyes. "I tried to stop but...I-"

"I know." She said, looking into his eyes. His eyes...she smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I know you did." Ridly hugged her again.

"We should rest, we have to leave soon." Ridly wasn't quite back to his old self something still lingered in his mind. A warning. Rayne nodded, before pulling her sword out of the wall, and looking towards him.

"Okay." She said softly, and looked towards him. "You, alright now?" Ridly shook his head.

"I don't think I'll ever be alright, but I think I can stay somewhere normal as long as I have you." Ridly kissed her again and put his arm around her waist. Rayne nodded a bit, looking to him.

"Then I'll make sure not to leave."

"Be sure that you never do." Ridly had a small smile back on his face as he led the way out of the training room and back up to their quarters. Rayne closed her eyes, walking into the room, and sliding into the bed, looking towards him, and smiling.

"And don't die on me."

"I'll try not to," Ridly said as he slid into bed beside her.


	16. Chapter 16

Rayne's eyes opened, and she looked around suddenly, gaining her bearings before waking up. Ridly's arm was locked around her waist tightly, and she smiled a bit, sitting up.

"Hon...hon we gotta go..."

"I know I was just getting some cuddling in before you woke up," Ridly was beaming and full of energy, though he had slept very little last night. Rayne smirked a bit, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ready?" She said softly, looking into his eyes.

"Just put your armor on and we can go." Ridly handed her the combat armor, which had a new finish to it that shined in the light. Rayne looked towards him.

"Got bored eh?" She said, taking the armor before she stood up and walked towards the bathroom.

"Actually I was worried about what some of the Brotherhood soldiers said about laser weapons, that new finish should keep you pretty well protected." Ridly was all smiles as he donned his own slightly worn combat armor. She walked back out with it on, and looked towards him.

"Alright...let's go." Ridly gave her a nod and shouldered his pack. The mini-gun and his new power hammer hung behind it.

"After you madam." Rayne nodded, sliding her sword into a sheath that Lorne had given her, and looked out the door, and closed her eyes, walking out. Ridly followed her to the elevator where Senior Paladin Hudson was waiting for them.

"Everyone is equipped and ready to go, Sir!" Hudson saluted. Ridly quickly returned the salute.

"You and your men will meet me at Vault City tomorrow. I have one more thing to do."

"Yes, Sir!" Hudson saluted and left going off to brief the troopers. Rayne walked into the elevator, seeing the excited tension building in the base.

"It's almost here..."

"Yes and we have to stop it," Ridly followed her in and pressed the button for the ground level. She was silent for a while, her eyes still closed, before the door opened. She looked back out and out onto the desert, looking at her trailer in the distance...even out here she could nearly feel it. A small smile crossed her face, before it faded, and she walked out.

"We will."

"We don't have a choice." Ridly said finally and ascended into the trailer.

"Oh we have a choice." She said closing the door of the trailer, and looking at the computer room. "It's just that there's no way either of us would choose it."

"Fate," was all Ridly said as he sat in his chair and took in the trailer. Technically this was home, home is where the heart belongs. Rayne nodded.

"'Tis a bitch." She said, before the trailer started. "Back to his place right?"

"Yeah, to Ridly's," It suddenly sounded so strange to him, his own name. As if it was never even his to begin with, just something borrowed. Rayne sat down in the seat across from him, dropping her pack, and looking towards him, and smiled a bit. "Cards?"  
Ridly nodded.

"No strip poker, as a matter of fact no poker, something new." Rayne snapped her fingers.

"Damn..." She said, laughing a bit, before looking towards him. "Up to you." Ridly raised his eyebrows with an ironic smile on his face.

"War?" Rayne laughed a bit.

"It'll take forever."

"How about Go Fish?" Ridly pulled the deck from his pack and moved closer to Rayne.

"Why not?" She smiled, looking at him. "Don't I kick your ass in that too?"

"We shall see, we shall see." Ridly dealt seven cards to Rayne and seven to himself then laid the rest on the table. "Got any twos?" Rayne shook her head.

"Go fish babe." She said easily, looking towards him. "Any 8's?"

"Fish." Ridly picked up a card, shuffled his deck and gave Rayne a steel gaze over his deck. "Got any kings?"

"How do you do that?" Ridly said sometime later. "That's three in a row!" She grinned.

"I'm gifted with cards."

"I noticed." Ridly was smiling even though he had just lost. He really didn't care. Suddenly the trailer gave a lurch as it came to a stop. "How much you want to bet we're here."

"3 to 1 odds we're here." She smirked at him, looking out the window. "I win, you owe me." She said, picking up her pack, and looking towards him. "Come on."

"Wait a minute..." Ridly followed her out of the trailer, where they were greeted by the older Ridly.

"Hello my friends, you are well?" Behind him stood five of the largest men in powered armor Ridly had ever seen. They looked nothing like the Brotherhood soldiers. Rayne blinked a bit. Well...that was...surprisingly unexpected; they were huge...all of them over six feet...more...she looked towards him, and smiled, a bit confused.

"I...yes...?"

"Who's the welcoming committee?" Ridly was completely calm; he trusted the older man totally.

"These are the descendents of friends of mine. They were Enclave soldiers who sided with me near the end of my adventures. Now these five have volunteered to follow you into battle." The armored figures all saluted in perfect unison. It was a little creepy but Ridly returned the salute any way.

"Are these recruits the gift you promised me when I left?"

"By all means no, I have plenty of equipment that you will need, come come."

The older man led the way into his house and Ridly had no choice but to follow. Rayne blinked once as she and Ridly followed the other Ridly, and looked towards the five as they followed them in. She leaned in close to Ridly.

"You a little freaked out?"

"A tad, but we can use all the help we can get." Ridly whispered back as they come to the living room for the second time.

"Have a seat please, I need to get your equipment." Rayne sat down, looking around the room, and fidgeted a bit, looking around. Everything seemed so awkward now. Ridly sat as well and put his hand on hers to calm her. The older man came in with a crate carried by a robot. Ridly looked closer, no there were three crates.

"Your equipment." the other Ridly said as the robot placed the crates on the ground.

"It's like Christmas." She said, looking towards the robot and picking it up.  
Ridly chuckled as he opened the first crate. He stopped laughing; inside was an Advanced Powered Armor MkII suit, polished and shined.

"I can't..."

"It is yours by right, the chosen one shall bear the mantle again." Rayne kneeled down towards him, looking towards the armor.

"Ridly...you'll need it." She said, looking towards him. Ridly accepted her council and stood. The armor was beautiful, he dropped his pack and removed his battered armor. The second the helmet snapped into place the suit powered on.

"How do I look?" Ridly said through the speaker. She smiled, looking up to him.

"Very nice." She said softly, standing up and taking his hand. Ridly suddenly felt a warning as his hand curled around hers, he didn't no how much pressure he could exert in this armor, so he decided to hold her hand as lightly as possible. She sat back down, and started toying with the robot again. "Open the next one." Ridly nodded and unlocked the next crate, there was ammo, boxes of ammo. Ridly picked one up and read it.

"4.7mm caseless?" He also noticed that there were three different types: 4.7mm caseless, 2mm EC and micro fusion cells. She looked towards the ammo, and smiled.

"How'd you know what guns we carried?" Ridly opened the final box.

"He didn't." Ridly held up an oddly shaped rifle looked at it and handed it to Rayne. Rayne looked at the rifle, opening it up, and then looking towards Ridly.

"Enhancement much."

"You're never going to believe this." Ridly shifted to let Rayne see the contents of the crate. Inside were a Vindicator Mini-gun, a Turbo Plasma Rifle and a Gattling Laser.

"Courtesy of the Enclave supply lockers before they all went up in flames," the older Ridly said with a grin. Her eyes widened as a smile grew on her face.

"_Pretty_!"

"The weapon in your hand, my lady, is an M72 Gauss Rifle. It fires the 2mm slugs at an incredible velocity." The other Ridly turned and went back to his quarters and returned with the oddest rifle Ridly had ever seen. "The YK42B Pulse Rifle," He said as he handed it to Ridly. She only nodded, looking towards the other two guns.

"They're all...beautiful..."

"But they wouldn't be complete without something to carry them in." The older man was clearly enjoying himself. "Outside, please." As he stepped out the door he gave a whistle. Ridly stopped behind him, waiting. Rayne stood up, putting the gun over her shoulder as she walked outside after them. A very familiar rumble came from around back as a car, an honest to god working car, came rolling around front, engine purring like a kitten.

"It's..."

"A Highwayman. She's a classic and yours of course." Rayne blinked once, before looking towards him.

"You ...spoil me Ridly..." She laughed, looking at the car. "It's beautiful.."

"It was the least I could do after you fixed the engine." He smiled. "Plenty of space in the trunk to store weapons and supplies." Ridly didn't know what to say, they were all such wonderful gifts.

"Thank you." Were the only words that spilled out of his mouth.

"Not at all, now the two of you must stay here tonight and dine with me." Ridly nodded.

"We'd be delighted, if you told us how you acquired all these things." Rayne nodded, opening the hood of the car and looking into it. She noted the engine, but went down further into the car, underneath the engine.

"Thank you Ridly!" She shouted, her voice sounding muffled thanks to the sheet metal of the car.

"You are very welcome my lady." Turning to Ridly the older man said. "Certainly I will tell you, it started here, if can believe that, we were just a remote tribe trying to survive in the wastes..."_  
_

As the older Ridly told his story, the younger one listened while loading the trunk of the car with the crates of weapons and ammunition. Ridly had clipped the pulse rifle and the vindicator mini-gun onto the hard points in the armor as he carried everything out to the car.

Rayne sat on the hood of the car, and then slid off the car.

"Alright, I'm hungry." She said easily, looking towards her Ridly. The older man finished and said.

"Yes, I have dinner cooking; come inside please." Ridly followed inside and looked about at the now small house.

"I guess I should take the armor off."

"It'd be kind of hard to eat with it on wouldn't it?" She smirked, tapping the helmet, before dragging him inside. "Alright." Ridly began to remove the armor piece by piece, finally he was down to his clothes as he set the last piece on the floor.

"Well I feel better; it's a bit claustrophobic in there. So what's for dinner?" He said as he sat next Rayne at the table.

"Stew, with gecko and Brahmin I caught myself."

"Brahmin." She smiled, looking up to him. "You caught it by yourself?" She said raising an eyebrow, and poured herself a bowl. "It's sure to taste better than." She said, smiling as she kissed Ridly on the cheek, before eating. Ridly ate slowly, running through battle plans in his mind. In truth he knew that there was no way both of them would survive.

"Vault City..." Ridly said between bites. "Has pretty good defenses, but I don't know if they will stand up the battering they will certainly receive."

"So we'll send out the waves in front of the city, we've got plenty of desert." She said, looking towards him.

"If we send out waves, they'll get plastered between the city defenses and the monsters." Ridly was thinking a bit. "If I split the forces into two, one can soften the blow to the city, while the rest prepare to lose ground block by block. Vault City is decent size so they would pay dearly for each inch." Rayne nodded, looking towards him, and sipping another spoonful of soup.

"That should work..." She said, looking up to him. "Should we talk to the Vault City enforcement?"

"If all else fails they can retreat back to the vault and fight from there, that's well defended and deep. It will only work if Vault City cooperates of course but it can be done."

"I don't see why they wouldn't...this is going on outside the walls of their city...they'll need all the help they can get with...that coming."

"I truly hope they do, because a guerilla war is the only way to win against these odds." Ridly had forgotten his stew as he thought. Rayne smirked a bit, and took a spoonful from his soup, easing back into her chair, and taking a sip.

"You know the odds?"

"At best guess we have a thousand strong, they number somewhere around the million range." Her eyes widened, as she looked up to him, her jaw nearly dropping.

"You...you're kidding..." She said softly, looking up at him.

"I really wish I was, about a million mutants and monsters." Ridly wasn't even hungry any more as he thought to himself. Rayne closed her eyes and looked up to her.

"But..."

"We can't stand them in a direct confrontation, but we can fight an urban war."

"Then we'll have to." She said, smiling a bit. "Gimme a few hours in the maintenance shed."

"If anyone can whip up a miracle, it's you Rayne." Ridly squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.

"I can whip up something easy...there's enough stuff in there for nearly anything." She said softly, looking up to him, and having a small gleam in her eyes. "Promise."

"Good." Ridly smiled at her. "We need to rest though."

"Yes you can stay in one of my guest rooms." The older man had been so quiet while Ridly mused that he had forgotten the man was there.

"Wha..? Oh...um...yes I think we can do that." Rayne only looked towards Vault City, and nodded a bit.

"Okay." She said softly, and stood up, looking towards the man. "Goodnight, and Thank you Ridly." Ridly got up as well, nodded his thanks and followed Rayne into the bedroom.

Rayne looked at the bedroom, it was small, but it was comfier than any other room she'd been in. She looked towards Ridly.

"How's this gonna happen Rids?" she said softly, looking towards him, a small frown on her face.

"Lots of good people are going to die; that's all I can say." Ridly wasn't in the best of spirits either. He had so much on his mind. Rayne looked towards him, and kissed him softly, before looking towards the bed.

"We'll just have to make them pay for it then." She said softly, and smiled a bit. "Try not to think too much." Ridly sat on the edge of the bed and stared into nothing

"This all falls on me Rayne. I have to lead, I have to send them to their deaths..." Rayne sat behind him, and closed her eyes, leaning her head on his shoulder. "They wouldn't be part of this if they were scared of dying, Ridly. I know you have a lot to deal with, but...don't think you're alone." Ridly looked at her, not wanting to say anything and unable to argue. He felt tears welling up in his eyes but he fought them back. Her...Rayne looked towards him, and closed her eyes, kissing him softly, before pulling away. "Remember that okay?"

Ridly only nodded as he looked at her. It was all for her, he would not, could not let her be harmed, he would rather die first. Rayne nodded back, and sat back down on the bed.

"Good...now bed!" She smiled easily, and looked towards him. "And I want you to actually sleep...got that?" Ridly lay back heavily.

"Yeah, I got that.," He muttered turning his head to look at her again. She smiled a bit, and kissed him on the nose, before pulling herself into his arms, and slowly going to sleep. He looked at her sleeping face as his eye slowly closed. All for her, all for her, all for her...


	17. Chapter 17

Her eyes opened easily, looking out to the window. It was still dark out, but she could tell what time it was. She looked towards Ridly, and pulled out of his arms.

"Hon...you up?" Ridly rolled over barely awake.

"It's time to go." She nodded a bit.

"Yeah it is." Ridly climbed out of bed and splashed water on his face in the bathroom. Then he went out and retrieved his power armor, slowly putting it on.

Rayne slid into her armor, and looked out to the sky. It was time...she could feel it...the sky slowly started to rise, the sky turning that blood red color it does just before sunrise, and she sighed. Omen. She pushed herself off the window, and went out to join Ridly. Ridly stood with his helmet under his arm waiting for her. The older Ridly was there as well.

"I wish you all the best of luck. There is one more crate that you will need. It's already in the car, do not open it until the time is right. And take this." He produced a syringe of green fluid from his pocket. "This is F.E.V. Keep it on you at all times." He handed the syringe to Ridly, "You will know when to use it." Ridly nodded.

"Thank you for all you've done, I wish I could repay you."

"There is no need, now go hurry before time runs out." Rayne walked out towards them, and then into the car.

"You drive a stick babe?" She said, sliding into the driver's seat of the car, and looking up to him. "I think I'll have fun if you don't."

"You drive. I want to think." Ridly slid into the passenger seat and looked out the window. Rayne only nodded, and waved goodbye to Ridly, before starting up the car, and starting to drive into town. Her eyes looked over the dashboard. It was perfect...she thought easily, and smiled a bit. That's one thing she'd always wanted to do before she died...guess she got her wish, possibly just in time. She looked up to the city. Ridly sat in thought as the dusty wind whipped past his face. He ran scenario after scenario in his mind. He said almost nothing as they drove.

Rayne saw the city, seeing the turrets surrounding the city. When she'd gotten here the last time, only four had been occupied...now all 10 of them were. She sighed. Guess they'd found out. She shifted into a different gear, and looked around her. It was what she'd known nearly her whole life...deserts, wastelands...and being alive...living through it...and now, there were things trying to take it away. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she thought about it, driving up the road leading to vault city. They wouldn't win...not if she had anything to say about it. She looked to Ridly.

"We're here."

Ridly slowly came out of his thoughts as he looked at the city, he could see soldiers inside the gate. The Brotherhood soldiers were directing the placement of encampments and bunkers while the Enclave troopers where organizing the ragtag army. Ridly stepped from the vehicle and locked the helmet into place. There were mercenaries dressed in heavy armors, cleaning weapons and drilling. There were conscripts looking nervous and unsure of themselves. Then Ridly noticed that a large number of people had formed a respectable sized camp away from the outers.

"Ghouls?" Ridly was surprised to see such a large number of the beings near Vault City, they were all armed with various weapons from pipe rifles to shotguns to SMGs. Rayne looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh, imagine that..." She smiled, driving closer, as the gate opened. She looked towards him, and smiled a bit. "Am I letting you out here?" Ridly followed the car in as the gate shut behind him.

"Yes, this is the right place." Sr. Paladin Hudson moved up to Ridly and saluted. Ridly returned the salute. "What have you to report?"

"We have constructed a good number of bunkers and defenses around the city and the Enclave troopers have begun to construct units, mixing veterans with conscripts. But we're not sure what to do with the ghouls sir." Ridly nodded at this and dismissed Hudson. Rayne looked towards Ridly, and smiled.

"The ghouls know their own way." She said, looking towards them. "I'm sure they'll make themselves useful...I'm gonna be at the maintenance shed if you want me." She said, looking towards him, and starting to drive into the town. Ridly nodded at her and walked over to the ghoul encampment. One of the ghouls, wearing an old army major's cap walked up to him.

"First, second, and third ghoul regiment reporting for duty sir!" the ghoul said with a mock salute.

"I don't remember asking ghouls for help," Ridly said, puzzled as he scanned the regiments of ghouls. "Why did you come?" The ghoul looked a little hurt.

"Well it is our life too, we figured that we could help out a bit." Ridly nodded and offered his hand to the ghoul, who took it proudly.

"Welcome aboard."

Rayne parked in the back, and walked into the maintenance shed, seeing a few people milling around outside, but the inside was completely empty. She shrugged a bit and walked in, turning the lights on. She saw the different piles of things, and smiled a bit.

"This will be interesting." She said softly, and started looking for the first things that came to mind.

Ridly made inspections, as well as he knew how, and conferred with leaders of the units about his plan. At first the commander of the Vault City balked at the idea of sacrificing the city blocks but the others eventually convinced him that this was the only way that they could save the city.

Rayne shoved a pile of toasters and found a few rocket launchers underneath. She smiled a bit, picking them up, and walking towards the bench, and then heard someone in the shop.

"Lo?"

"Thought I'd find you here."

"Lorne?"

"In the flesh." He said, turning the corner to the back room. She smirked.

"Good, someone to help me, get your ass over here, wait, pick up a few things first...I'mma need rocket launcher ammo...lots."

Ridly stayed with the men and helped drill the conscripts until the sun went down. That's when they began to get worried, there had been no sign of the enemy at all that day. He ordered a night watch and went to see what Rayne had cooking. Rayne looked towards a few of the guns she had lined on the table, and bent down.

"I think...if we melt down some of this stuff...we can make a few things I've been thinking about." She said softly, looking up to Lorne. He nodded back, still working on a couple old guns she'd found, and testing them carefully. She heard the bell above the door go off, and looked up to Ridly, smiling a bit. "Hey."

"Looks like you two have been hard at work." Ridly managed to get his armored body through the door. "How goes the construction Rayne?"

"Depends, you want long range or short? Right now, I've only been working on things prebuilt...but if you want something made, which I can do, you're going to have to tell me what you want." She said, standing up and walking towards him. Ridly shrugged a little.

"Whatever you come up with will be appreciated I'm sure." Rayne looked towards him, and smiled, walking closer.

"Not the best time to be indecisive." She said, looking towards him with a slight smile on her face.

"True, but inventory is not my department." He took several steps in her direction. She only sighed, and then nodded.

"Thinking about a lariat...I think that was what it was called...kind of like a giant slingshot...hurls large amounts of objects at large amounts of people."

"If you build it we will use it. But where are you going to get large objects?"

"Some of this stuff; there's no way it can be used for warfare...so, we can melt it down, and form large objects...unless it's large enough by itself."

"Alright, do it." Ridly turned around and headed back out the door. "I have to go supervise the defense in the vault, get some sleep when you can." Rayne smiled a bit, looking towards him.

"Won't be anytime soon babe!" Ridly left, his mind trying to focus on the task at hand but always drifting back to Rayne.

Rayne looked back towards the door, and then sighed a bit. She hoped he'd be okay after this. She looked towards the stuff, and smiled. "Alright, time for work."

Ridly spent most of the night and morning inside the vault shoring up the defenses. About mid-day he was called up to front of city, a black mass had been spotted on the horizon.

Rayne jumped down from the top of it, looking towards the base. It seemed alright...but it wouldn't be right to her until it was tested. She was about to pull the casing down, before she heard someone run up.

"IT'S COMING!" Rayne looked towards the person, and her eyes looked to him. He looked a bit scared, but he wasn't in any kind of armor...probably a normal citizen.

"Go to the vault..." She said softly, and looked up to the lariat.

"Let's go!" Ridly formed up his repulse units and led them out of the gates. Four mercenary regiments, 6 conscript regiments and all three ghoul regiments. Plus half of the Brotherhood soldiers and the Enclave soldiers acting with him.

Rayne slid her sword, and a few guns into her pack, and put her armor back on, and ran towards the gates to meet up with Ridly. She looked towards him.

"I'm with you, right?" She said, looking at him, the humor gone from her face and only determination in her eyes. Ridly never looked down at her as he marched his troops out before the walls of Vault City.

"No, stay inside, it's safer there. Paladin Hudson will take care of you." Rayne looked towards him.

"Ridly." She said looking towards him. "I don't need to be taken care of." Ridly stopped as the troops marched past him and got into formation.

"Rayne please, I need to know you're safe, go inside. I can't have you distracting me from coordinating this defense." He was looking down at her through the helmets eyeholes. "Please go." Rayne looked towards him, and closed her eyes, before nodding a bit.

"Alright Rids..." She said softly, looking towards him, before heading back to the shed. As Rayne walked away Ridly stood there, staring at the spot where she had stood. He called out.

"Rayne, never forget that I love you!" Rayne looked back over her shoulder and smiled a bit.

"Don't worry, I won't." She smiled, and turned to face him. "I love you too!" She smiled, before looking towards the city, and smiled a bit sadly. If he died out there she was going to kill any of those damned things she could get her hands on.

Ridly prepared himself and the troops as the black mass grew in size. He waited until they could see the individual enemies marching towards them. Mini-guns warmed up as the troops prepared to fire. As the enemy closed Ridly shut his eyes. _Stay out of danger Rayne. Please._ _I need to know that you are safe._ Then Ridly counted to 10 and shouted.

"_UNLEASH HELL_!" At his command, almost 200 mini-guns spat fire.

Rayne walked back to the maintenance shed, seeing Lorne finishing the lariat, and smiled.

"Let's get these mines on the buildings." She said, looking towards them, and picking up a few. "We've got a bit of work to do...I don't know how long they'll last out there." She said softly, a slight hint of sadness in her tone. Lorne looked towards her, and then nodded.

"Gotcha Rayne...He said, taking them and running out of the door. Rayne only sighed, and grabbed a few grenades, and walked towards the back.

"It's time."


	18. Chapter 18

The guns burned through enemies like a wild fire through parched wood; hundreds of thousands died in the barrage as bullets ripped into their lines. Unfortunately the guns burned through ammo even faster and soon were spinning empty but most had been turned to slag, the guns were not meant to fire for such a long time. Ridly cursed and dropped the useless mini-gun; the polymer barrels had cracked from the heat. He unslung his plasma rifle and fired randomly into the mass of oncoming enemies, most of his men had switched to other weapons as well. They had killed so many but there were still enemies as far as the eye could see. Ridly's plasma gun fizzled as the power cell ran dry. He dropped the weapon and reached for his pulse rifle. The horde was only 100 or so feet from Ridly's small defense and they were beginning to receive return fire. He saw six mercs, eleven ghouls and one Brotherhood soldier come apart under the rain of bullets.

"Rayne!" Ridly called over the com-link in her helmet, "I need those rocket launchers now!" Rayne closed her eyes.

"Gotcha." She said into her communicator, finishing with the last mine, attached it to a wall, and started running back towards the maintenance shed. If things were getting bad enough for those...she'd need to do some more with the urban defenses...She skirted a few traps to get to Ridly's position. She handed him the repaired launchers, and looked up at him. "You still want me in town?" She said, looking with unease at the hordes of enemies. Bullets whipped past as Ridly handled the repaired launchers.

"Yes, _Get out of here!_" Ridly passed the launchers along the line, shouldered his and let fly with a armor piercing rocket that turned several mutants into giblets. Rayne tilted her head, as a bullet flew over her, and nodded, going back towards the base.

"Stay safe!" She shouted back to him, before going back, looking towards the lariat. "Let's get it rolling." She said softly, loading the large balls onto the base, before rolling it closer towards the city gates. She looked towards a few soldiers running out to the battlefield, and looked towards the thing, and smiled faintly at Rayne. She smirked back. "Be careful where you step, land mines everywhere!"

Several bullets slammed into Ridly as he opened fire with the pulse rifle, fortunately they ping harmlessly off the armor. Another round struck that almost knocked him off his feet and stung like crazy.

"Watch those energy weapons!" Ridly reloaded and continued to fire. The enemy was about 50 feet from them now and advancing steadily despite the casualties inflicted by the defenders. More defenders fell as the enemy guns closed. Ridly was running low on power cells and seriously doubted he could run back to the car for more. "Watch it they're going to-" Ridly didn't even finish as the enemy line charged, closing the last 10 feet and tearing into the defenders. Ridly managed to ready his power hammer and tore a swathe back into the enemy lines, the gap was closed by some Brotherhood soldiers and several brave ghouls. Despite Ridly's counter the enemy beat back the defenders. What few Brotherhood troops remained and the Enclave troops had lost 2 more.

Rayne heard the roar of the battle getting closer, and she sighed, looking towards the lariat, she loaded the first one, and watched it go flying into the mass, taking a large chunk as it landed hard, and continued to mow down others as it rolled.

"Well it works..." She said softly, looking towards the thing. "Alright dumbasses...let's see how you do in the streets..." She smirked, loading another one into the lariat before hopping off, looking around. She'd set up a few other things around the place, and it'd help their boys out...as long as they didn't get hurt themselves. "Rids...tell your troops to keep an eye out. The place is armed to the teeth...I've had fun."

Ridly had become an island unto himself. He had continued to advance as the rest fell back. The ghouls had died quickly and Ridly had watched the last Brotherhood soldier under his command, be ripped apart by several monstrosities as he took a mutant's head off.

"Fall back into the city and commence guerilla operations, I repeat, fall ba-" Ridly was cut off as something bit through the armor and into the flesh of his leg, he stumbled and was quickly overrun by hundreds of monsters.

"If you heard him he said fall back!" She shouted, letting loose the second ball, as she looked towards the troops. "The Maintenance shed and the vault have weapons, and go in teams of 4 and 5 to different blocks in the city, watch for traps and mines." She shouted, grabbing her sword and her gun, and looking towards the army. "RIDLY!"

The city defense lasers, which had been doing their best to stem the tide, even after the remains of Ridly's command had fallen back through the gate, soon fell silent as the operators were overrun and torn to shreds.

Senior Paladin Hudson came rushed to Rayne's side.

"We should move back," his voice crackling through the helmet speakers, "Loose the last ball and get back. We need you to organize a defense." Rayne looked towards him, and closed her eyes.

"FALL BACK!" She shouted quickly, and looked towards him. "Take your best men and split them across the city gates..." She said, looking towards him. "How many soldiers do we have left Hudson?" She said softly, pulling the last ball back, and letting it fly, pounding hundreds of monsters as it fell, and jumping off the lariat, and starting to run...she looked over her shoulder once. _Ridly...you better not die out there. _ Hudson ran with her, swearing colorfully and assigning troops.

"I have about five hundred and fifty men left, ma'am." Hudson, stopped turned and fired his M60 at the oncoming monsters. "Many of them have followed orders and fallen back into the city and taken up defensive positions. I have about thirty assigned to the gates, they are reporting heavy losses and cannot hold for much longer." She nodded, looking towards the gates as the started to break.

"Yeah I know. There's a couple restaurants on the north side of town, there's flame-throwers set up there, and about 15 land mines, some gasoline and the whole place should light up..." She said easily, kicking a drum of oil out of a corner, and watching as the oil spread across the pavement. "Good ol' fashioned barbecue. If you can, clear out the laser turrets, will put them in the city and cut down a few dozens." She said, looking towards him. "If the losses get too heavy, tell them to fall back closer in." She said quickly, and looked towards the mob of monsters still outside. "We don't have time for last ditch missions."

"Ma'am, my squad at the gates reports that the laser turrets are out of reach and they are falling back." Hudson switched to another channel, fired some more and continued running after Rayne. "I have told them to lead as many of the monsters into the north side as possible and then torch the place at all costs. I suggest that you head for the vault entrance and help finish the defensive line there, men will fall back to you as they are overwhelmed, I will stay here and coordinate where I can see the battle." She growled softly. She was so tired of being treated like a girl.

"I can handle myself Paladin Hudson." She said softly, looking towards him. "I'm not hiding." She ran down another alleyway, and looked towards a small keypad, and pressed a few buttons, as several laser cannons erupted out of the ground. "At least not yet."

"Yes ma'am; but Ridly gave me special instructions to ensure your safety, if the fighting gets too rough I request that you fall back to the vault before I have to carry you myself." Hudson ran off in another direction, firing and calling for units on the north side. Rayne decided to ignore that...she wasn't stupid...if things got too much she'd go. Rayne looked towards the laser cannons as the defense along the gates fell, and monsters poured into the city.

"Here it comes boys."

The first blocks to be hit were wiped out almost immediately with no chance to fall back, as the rush slowed though, the defenders held their ground. The booby traps and mines helped stem the tide but it was still a hard battle. After the initial overrun the casualty ratio fell from 3:1 to 1:6. After several hours fighting the north side of the city disappeared in a huge explosion.

"Ma'am everything on the north side is dead, including my forces there, mission accomplished." Hudson called over the mic, but he didn't sound very happy about it.

"I'm sorry for your men Hudson, they sacrificed themselves for something they believed in." She said softly, and looked around. She heard a few land mines go off at once, and saw parts go up in the air, and smiled a bit. "Those work...that's good." She said, smiling grimly, before turning from around the corner and seeing as monsters turned her way and started running. "Shit." She said softly, and slid into a back alleyway.

"There's land mines throughout the city...the majority of the enemy is down Faliquin St...send a team or two down here...Armed...nicely armed." She said softly, looking towards the monsters. This isn't good.

"Roger, are you in trouble?" Hudson asked out of formality, the entire city was in trouble. The monsters were beginning to constrict around the vault entrance.

"In a way." She shouted, picking off a few stragglers, and slid back into her hiding spot. "Only one team...the rest need to defend the civilians." She said softly, before hearing dead silence. She raised an eyebrow, turning and seeing a rather humanoid like monster, growling at her. She watched the thing in a sick sort of interest, eyes widening as he blocked off her only exit. "Dammit..." She muttered, starting to arm herself. But before she could think the thing charged her.

On reflex entirely she heard the soft sound of steel and she had blocked the thing's claws from tearing her arm off. She merely blinked, looking up to it, a small smile growing on her face. She thanked Lorne instantly, and pushed the thing away from her, sizing it up instantly.

About 7 feet tall or so, she thought, as it rushed her again. She knelt, slashing it hard against its side. It roared painfully, turning and rushing her again.

"Oh good, you're stupid." She smirked, blocking above her, before dropping down and doing a quick downward slash to his legs. He fell to the ground, and Rayne smiled, a quick flip of the sword before stabbing him in the chest where she hoped a heart lay. Not taking second guessing she ended the problem with cutting off his head soon afterwards. She watched as another one came into the alley way, followed by a curious creature with a squat body, two legs and tentacles where the arms should have been. She would worry about that later...she jumped onto the larger of the two, taking it down to the ground. However, the stakes seemed to have been raised. It growled, two blade-like bones slid out of the hands of this one, and she was sent into the wall. The squat creature blocked the alley off from others as the larger of the two went after Rayne. Rayne got to her feet, looking around to see the large thing on top of her. She gasped, blocking from above, and rolling herself down from under it. It growled again, straight rushing her.

"Great, you're the smart one." She muttered, irritated as she blocked again, feeling herself getting backed into a corner. She watched, his slashing getting faster as suddenly her back hit the wall. Eyes widened, she tried to get out of the corner, moving to her left.

No go. The monster growled, slamming both hands into the wall. She closed her eyes, annoyed. She was going to die because of some stupid mutant? A slight growl rose in her throat as she moved quickly, ending up behind the monster, and slashing it hard down the back. It roared, slashing backwards. She winced slightly, as it tore into her armor, she watched it slash through her name.

That set something off. She charged it recklessly, taking another chunk out of it, and going back for more. Her eyes watched her target, taking a running start and leaping, slashing from his head down to the floor. The monster slowly fell into two pieces. She smiled, turning onto the last. It seemed to sense her being done with his ally and grinned. It had teeth, lots and lots of teeth. Suddenly six or seven plasma bolts ripped into the creature and spread the insides all over the alley. Machine gun fire and energy blasts tore down the street, punctuated by a few rockets. Hudson appeared in the mouth of the alley, sans helmet and with blood oozing from a cut on his forehead. "Come on, let's get to the vault; most of the defenders have fallen back for a last stand there." Rayne nodded, kicking a tentacle out of her way.


	19. Chapter 19

"Has Ridly gotten back yet?" She said, running to catch up with him. Hudson shook his head.

"We've had no report since the enemy overran the gate." Hudson sped her along the streets as his squad covered them. Rayne's heart stopped in her chest, as she continued to run.

"No..." She said softly. Her eyes closing as they got to the vault, picking off monsters as she went. _It can't happen...Ridly..._ She slid into the vault to hear the sound of unbridled chaos in the vault, soldiers running around and civilians screaming or crying. She turned towards Hudson.

"What's still in our territory? Just this?"

"Yes. Get to level three, I'll hold them as long as I can here." Hudson almost threw her over the sandbags and into the vault as he turned around and gave orders to his troops. About a thirty armored Brotherhood soldiers made a semi-circle around the entrance to the vault, using the defensive positions already set up. Rayne got her balance back, and watched as the soldiers blocked her entrance. She growled, and looked out.

"Damn it." She said softly, and started making her way down, seeing people being carried away in stretchers, some injured...most dead. She sighed a bit, and started making her way to the third level.

Hudson's men held for almost an hour before the last of Brotherhood soldiers fell. Rayne was led into the computer core room where the last two hundred soldiers would make their stand. Unfortunately the monsters still number around a hundred thousand.

Rayne paced back and forth looking towards the men in the room as they prepared to fight...it couldn't end this way...She looked towards one of the camera screen, and saw the monsters going down through the levels.

"They're coming..." She said softly, and a deathly quiet fell over the room. She looked over her shoulder. "And if we don't finish them off, no one will. The odds are not in our favor. Something we'll just have to deal with." She said, looking towards them. "What other way would you wanna die?" She smirked, looking towards the room, and unsheathing her long sword. "If they take us to hell, we're bringing as many down with us as we fucking can." She smiled a bit, as the monsters started to make it to the entrance. No regrets. The sealed door to the room shuddered as it was hit with enormous force, dents began to form in the metal as the battering continued. The frame began to creak and just before the door exploded inwards the pounding stopped. A crashing was heard outside the door and there were slight whumps that reverberated through the levels.

Rayne looked towards the doorway in confusion, and then turned, her eyes scrolling down the screens, seeing nothing that would have caused the monsters to retreat...except...She zoomed in on the one outside the door, and gasped.

"But..."

"The cavalry has arrived!" Came a voice over all COM channels. The door collapsed inwards and there stood a lone figure in battered power armor, his left arm hanging uselessly by his side. "Honey. I'm home!" Rayne's eyes widened.

"Ridly..." She said nearly silently, and suddenly plowed her way through people, trying to get closer towards him. "Rids! That you, you evil bastard, scaring me half to fucking death like that..." She said, and finally got in front of him. Outside, in the corridors there were almost a hundred men: two Enclave troops, 6 Brotherhood soldiers, a handful of ghouls and plenty of mercs. Very few of them were uninjured but all were grinning like idiots.

"Sorry bout that. Watch the arm! It took almost all day to consolidate and push through the rear to the vault."

"Why didn't you reestablish contact?" She said, looking up to him. "You know a 'Hey guys, I'm not dead!' Would have been NICE!" She sighed, and then smiled. "God...it's good to see you in some state of life.." She smiled, and looked out to the hall. "Are there any left?" Ridly nodded a bit.

"Maybe a couple dozen wandering around the city, but they shouldn't take long to clean up. Believe it or not, most of the city is still standing, just burning in places. Man, were these idiots surprised when we hit them from behind." Ridly slumped against the wall in pain before standing back up. Rayne noted the pain he was trying to mask in his eyes, and looked up at him.

"Down now. You are going to the med lab with the rest of wounded people, you're hurt." She said softly, and poked the arm. "And you broke it."

"Yes. OW! Wait!" Ridly straightened up as much as he could. "We have a problem at the entrance to the vault." Ridly turned around and backtracked through the corpses strewn hallway up to the first level. Rayne sighed, following him out.

"Why don't you stay here, and try not to do anything stupid." She said, looking at him. "What's the problem?" Ridly looked at the bodies of two very recently dead Brotherhood soldiers, their armor had been squeezed like tin and their innards oozed from cracks in the armor.

"_HAVEN'T YOU FORGOTTEN SOMEONE_?" Came a bellow that shook the whole vault. Rayne's eyes widened.

"He comes to kill you all...Yeah...forgot him." She said softly, and looked towards Ridly. "You can't fight him the way you are and you know that." She closed her eyes. "But something tells me you're not going to listen to me."

"Bingo." Ridly stepped out of the vault and looked up at the biggest and ugliest mutant he had ever seen. The monster was twelve feet tall and almost had more bionic parts than organic.

"_SO THE FAMED CHOSEN ONE HAS COME TO DIE AT MY HANDS_!" Rayne looked at the mutant, and closed her eyes. It'd tear Ridly apart.

"Rids..." She said softly, still looking towards the beast. "It's going to eat you." Ridly looked down at his power hammer, still humming.

"Not going to happen is it?" Ridly deactivated the weapon and tossed it aside.

"_WHAT? GIVING UP SO EASILY AFTER ALL THAT, I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT AT LEAST TRY TO FIGHT ME_!"

"Since when did I say I was giving up?" Ridly pulled the FEV syringe from a compartment in his armor, amazingly unbroken, studied it for a minute and then shoved the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger all the way down. Rayne's eyes widened.

"I...you...Ri...Ridly." She said softly, looking at the now empty syringe, and then to Ridly. "Don't die." She said softly. "Stupid giant mutants..."

Ridly couldn't hear anything, he was in too much pain. His body began to grow extremely fast, the power armor came apart as he grew. Ridly could feel every bone in his body break and reform, stronger than it was before. His useless arm repaired and his skin changed six shades of green. When the pain finally disappeared Ridly, or at least what had been Ridly was over eight feet tall and dark green.

"UGH." Rayne's eyes widened slightly.

"Well...that's different..." She said softly, looking towards the Ridly-mutant. "KICK HIS ASS!" The monster tilted its head and then drew its 11 foot sword.

"_IMPRESSIVE BUT STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH_." Ridly looked up at the monster and blinked, then fell into a very familiar fighting stance.

"_FIRST RULE_:" Ridly let loose with a round house to the monsters head, "_NO CHEATING_!" Rayne smirked a bit, looking towards the mutant, and then to Ridly. "It's the training room all over again.." She said softly, watching as the monster staggered back slightly, before regaining his balance.

"_SECOND RULE_," Ridly ducked as the mutant swung the sword in an arc that would have decapitated him. Ridly brought his huge fist up and into the bosses groin area. The mutant grunted and folded into himself. "_THERE **ARE** NO RULES_," Ridly said as he snapped a kick that sent the giant sword spinning out of the boss' grasp and skidding into a ruined building. She winced slightly.

"Ouch.." She said softly, watching the building demolish down upon the sword. "That's gotta suck." The boss recovered quickly, most of the area was mechanical anyway.

"_I DONT NEED THE SWORD TO KILL YOU_!" The boss tried to rush at Ridly and choke him but Ridly spun him around and smashed him into the side of the mountain. As small rocks pelted down from above Ridly ran over and retrieved the sword from the rubble. He tested the weight and balance, slicing it through the air with some skill.

"_NICE SWORD_." Ridly threw the sword straight at the mutant who dodged the blade easily.

"_YOU MISSED_." The boss said triumphantly.

"_YEAH, BUT IT GOT YOUR ATTENTION DIDN'T IT_?" The kick Ridly let loose crushed the jawbones in the monsters face and ripped the mechanical lower jaw loose on one side so that it hung freely from the face. While Ridly steadied himself, the boss charged, seemingly unaffected by the loss of his jaw. Ridly managed to grab one of the mutants hands but the other robotic hand clamped firmly on Ridly's throat and began to squeeze. Ridly choked and clawed at the arm but could not get free.

"Fudge." Rayne said softly, jumping down off the level she was on and down to the ground floor, and started running towards the two titans sparring, and finally got to the car, grabbing her bazooka. She climbed to the top of the building, and put it on her shoulder, aiming for the mutants shoulder and firing. The rocket, impacted; spattering gore and metal parts everywhere. Rayne must have hit a pressure tube because the mutant's grip loosened a little. Ridly backed up to try and get off the grip, tripped over a building and landed on his back. Fortunately he had the prescience of mind to bring his knees up, effectively levering the monster off of him and sending it flying. The boss landed on his head and skidded, smashing more buildings. Ridly stood and brushed some of the rubble off himself, he felt a burning at his neck where the mechanical arm had removed several layers of skin.

"Thanks Ray..." Ridly said softly as the boss plowed into his back sending him skidding on his face to the vault entrance. She smiled a bit, and than winced again.

"Ouch..." She said softly, and took the bazooka ammo, and loaded it into the car, along with the crate that was still in there. She smirked a bit. "Something tells me now's as good a time as any." She said softly, hopping into the front seat, and driving towards the vault.

Ridly stood and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"_NOW THAT I'M PROPERLY LIMBERED UP_..." Ridly popped five vertebrae in his neck that sounded like five separate gunshots and cracked his shoulder blades, which sounded like a small explosion. Ridly reached up beside him and pulled the sword from the mountain and charged. As Ridly swung the sword in a downward arc the boss knocked the weapon aside like a toy with his metal arm and delivered a blow to Ridly's face that knocked out a few teeth and sent Ridly sprawling backwards. The mutant readjusted his grip on the weapon and took a couple strides to where Ridly lay. He slashed downward several times but each attempt was foiled as Ridly rolled out of the way. Unexpectedly the boss swung sideways, catching Ridly in the stomach as he rolled into the blade. The wound split open Ridly's abdomen and spilled intestines and blood all over Vault City. Ridly screamed in anguish.

Rayne heard Ridly's scream and her eyes widened.

"Not good..." She said softly, squealing into a stop as she jumped out of the car. She opened the trunk, and pulled the ammo out, and then looked towards the crate, opening it. "Thank you Ridly." She said softly, and looked towards Ridly and the other mutant, and smirked. "This is going to get interesting..." The boss studied his handy work for a moment, his lips curling into a parody of a smile, before scything downward with the blade with all of his might. Rayne's eyes widened, as she looked towards the sword.

"It's either going to decapitate him or cut his arm off." She said softly, and loaded the bazooka again, and aiming this time for it's hand. She smiled, and fired it. Fortune did not smile on Rayne this time as the rocket sailed past the boss' face, momentarily blinding him. Inches from his nose Ridly caught the blade. Several seconds crawled past as both combatants tried to digest what had happened, Ridly more out of instinct than thought, brought his foot into the bosses crotch for a second time, the mutant seemed to leap a foot in the air as Ridly's foot decimated soft tissue. Stunned and in pain the monster let go of his sword, Ridly swung the weapon up from the blade. The handle caught the boss in the roof of the mouth as it came up, the result guaranteed that he would never smile again. Ridly angled the blade so he could get a grip on the handle and shoved the weapon into the monster right below the rib cage and off to the left. Blood sprayed from the wound as the monster collapsed on his side, the sword supporting some of the weight as it protruded from the back. Ridly slowly tried to stand up, his intestines hanging from his body.

Rayne swore violently, before sighing, least Ridly hadn't died yet. She drove the Highwayman closer to the bloody part of town the two were recovering in, and once against stopped, she opened the trunk, and looked up to Ridly.

"YOU THINK YOU MIGHT NEED THIS?" She shouted bringing his attention to the crate. Ridly staggered over to the crate, blood dripping all over the hood of the Highwayman.

"What is it?" he said as blood began to trickle from his mouth. Rayne's eyes widened a bit in concern. He was in really bad shape. She opened the crate and pulled out the contents.

"I swear that man's psychic." She smiled softly, and looked towards the rather large weapon.

"Nice wrist band," Ridly said as he dropped to one knee to get a closer look. He reached for the gauntlet and slid it onto his arm, it snapped in place with an audible click. Ridly heard groaning behind him and turned to see the monster pull the sword from his own gut, spraying more blood on the city. "_WHY WONT YOU STAY DEAD_?" Ridly said clenching his fists; the gauntlet let out a snap as a 9-foot blade extended from it. "Woah!" Ridly said as he eyed the blade. Rayne looked towards it, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...that'll come in handy." She said softly, and backed up, not having a desire to get stepped or bled on. She looked towards Ridly, and smiled a bit. "Good luck babe." Ridly charged the boss and ran him through with the blade, lifting him into the air before dropping him to the ground. Ridly backed up as his front was sprayed with blood. The monster fell to his knees leaning on its sword for support. He looked at Ridly with absolute hate burning in his eyes. Suddenly he brought the blade up and swung the sword in an arc to take Ridly's head off. Ridly blocked with the gauntlet and as the blades screeched and sparked under the pressure, Ridly quickly gave the mutant several under handed punches to its wounded belly. The boss staggered back in pain. Ridly took the opportunity to charge again, but the boss brought his sword up, pointing the blade at Ridly's chest. Ridly didn't have time to stop as the blade entered his chest, smashed several ribs and exited out his back.

Ridly slumped to the ground at the foot of the monster and lay still. The boss let out a gurgle of triumph as it stepped over Ridly's body and advanced on the survivors.

"No..." She said softly, looking towards the down Ridly. "No..." Her eyes widened as her heart stopped. Everything inside her was shutting down again...this couldn't happen...he couldn't be dead...he...he couldn't...She looked towards the mutant, and then looked towards the vault, driving in ahead of him, and running up to the third level. He couldn't be dead...It wasn't possible. Unknowingly tears came to her eyes as she opened the door. "Get down to the main floor now...we have...we have to finish off the boss." She said, looking towards the soldiers left in the room.

As the monster advanced on the vault, the soldiers lamely returned fire as they fell back into the metal doors. The boss caught one of the soldiers and smashed him into goo. He reached for vault as people scrambled inside. Frustrated at not being able to get inside the mutant began to pound on the mountain.

Slowly and painfully Ridly pushed himself to his knees, he grabbed the hilt of the sword sticking out of his chest and pulled. It slid, sticky with blood, out of his chest cavity. Ridly slowly levered himself to his feet, using the sword for support. "_YOU STARTED THIS AND I'M GOING TO FINISH IT!"_ Ridly shouted as the boss turned around, surprised that Ridly was still amongst the living. Rayne's eyes widened as she looked up at Ridly.

"Dear lord boy...you should seriously stop scaring me like that." She breathed, and stood back up. "If you die and come back to life again, I swear I'm going to kill you." She looked up at the boss, and smirked. "Kill him." The behemoths charged, the boss going for Ridly's neck with both hands. Ridly swung both blades and the boss's bionic arm flew into the streets. The boss stumbled backwards, looking at the severed limb. Ridly didn't stop. He brought both blades up and through the monster's sternum, splitting the chest like a watermelon. The boss fell spread eagle as Ridly ran over him. Ridly stopped and the gauntlet's blade retracted.

"It's over and you lost." Ridly said simply before thrusting the sword up to the hilt into the boss' still beating heart. The monster convulsed and ceased moving altogether. Ridly collapsed to his knees. Rayne smiled.

"It's over..." She said softly, and ran towards him as he collapsed. "Ridly...Ridly." She smiled sitting down near his head. "You won." Ridly heard nothing as he watched a pool of his own blood expand around him before slowly shutting his eyes.


	20. Epilogue

After spending 3 months in a suspension tank Ridly finally awoke to the Vault City medical bay. Rayne looked towards him, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear as she sighed. She'd barely talked to anyone in the last three months...he'd saved their lives, all of them...and this is how he was repaid...coma for the past three months...if he didn't pull out of it soon...she closed her eyes.

Ridly stirred looking at Rayne, he briefly wondered how long she had been sitting there and how long he had been out. He reached out to touch the side of the tank and noticed the hand he extended was not large and green but regular size and pink. He was human again, but how? Rayne heard something tap against the screen, and lifted her head up, and smiled.

"Ridly..." She said softly. "Ridly...are...are you awake? Ridly nodded as much as he could in the tank, he was feeling a tad claustrophobic now. He motioned for Rayne to get him out. Rayne smiled a bit, and stood up, walking towards the tank. "Dear lord you scared me." She said softly, and started draining the tank so the water wouldn't flood everywhere. By the time the water receded Ridly was trying to stand but he found the task difficult everything ached. Rayne smiled a bit, looking towards him and helping him out of the tank, and helping him stand. "You're finally awake..." She smiled softly, and looked toward shim. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like silly putty. How long have I been out?" Ridly was grateful for her support as she helped him stand.

"About 3 months." She said easily, laying him down on the couch she'd been sitting on that changed into a bed.

"Wow…that would explain why I'm having trouble walking. What happened after I passed out?" She smiled a bit, sitting down next to him.

"Ridly came to the vault, and put another shot in you, and you slowly turned back human. You were badly wounded, so they put you in this suspension tank to heal; they've been rebuilding the city."

"How's that going?" Ridly hobbled to the front of the vault and looked out. Rayne watched him from the window, and smiled a bit. He was finally awake. "They're almost done." Ridly felt the weight of the world slow settle back onto his shoulders.

"How many Rayne? How many did I lead to death?" She sighed a bit closing her eyes. "We started with...I don't know...10,000 or so, and by the end...we were down to about 1000." She said, looking towards him. "There's nothing you could have done about the death Rids...if these people didn't die, a lot more would have replaced them."

"Yet I'm still here. Damn." Ridly looked down at himself, noticing the new and vivid scars. "Well let's find me some clothes and head out to see what I can do to help."

"At the moment babe...you should stay here...you're not fully healed yet...you're just awake."

"I can heal later, hell I've been healing for three months. I'm tired of the nightmares, I want to see the real world again." Rayne looked towards him a final time, and then nodded a bit.

"I'll...get you some clothes." She said softly, sliding out of the door. Ridly looked out at the city, the makeshift bunkers were gone, smashed building had been cleared and rebuilding was well underway. He could see people in the streets, they were moving in the process of everyday life. He looked out and wondered if he had even made a change. Rayne watched him, her eyes half lidded as she leaned against a wall.

"Oh Rids.." She said softly, soft enough that he couldn't hear it. "What the hell's going to happen." Ridly put on the clothes Rayne brought and with her help managed to walk out of the vault and into the sun. Almost at once he noticed that there were ghouls, lots of them, talking and doing business with everyone else. Ridly even saw some mutants walking around.

After a while he was asked to attend a meeting with the First Citizen and his guests. The NCR had brought supplies and traded goods several days after the war and the Gecko power plant had offered to power the city while they fixed the generators. Now the three were negotiating for a unitary government that would benefit everyone. The kicker came when the First Citizen offered Ridly the job of first President of the New United States.

"Well I don't know? What do you think Rayne?" Rayne smirked a bit, looking towards him.

"It's up to you babe...you'd have to give up life on the road though..." She said softly, and then smiled. "Maybe it's for the best then eh, if you die one more time I swear to God I'll kill you...you'd be a little safer as President...go for it." Ridly agreed and an hour later, in front of a live video cast, Ridly signed the Second Constitution to cheers of all of Vault City.

That night as he looked up at the sky and held Rayne close, he thought about everything that had happened in his life. He would miss the road but not that much. He calmly brought himself to the task of organizing this New World for the better. He kissed Rayne on the cheek. Well, for the better or worse anywise.


End file.
